The Angel and the Devil
by MaiStan
Summary: (Rated T for reasons.) Courtney is the Princess of the Heavenly Kingdom and destined to be the next queen. In contrast, Duncan is the Devil and known for encouraging resistance against good. She learns about him from her best friend and has some questions. So when the Princess runs away for a break from the royal life and answers about who he is, what will happen when they meet?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own **NOTHING** but my OCs and the plot. If this offends any religious opinion or something. This isn't the fanfic for you, since it's afterlife mythology based. Now enjoy my personal favorite Duncney fanfic I've ever written...

_*Magical Transition so everything aligns perfectly hopefully*_

All was well in the Heavenly Kingdom; the Princess of all the Angels and Saints, Courtney, was soon to be crowned Queen in a matter of 3 years. The preparations and excitement clearly shone throughout the Heavens. She and her subjects were successfully guiding man towards goodness; with the help of God, of course. But this wonderful peace was only present for so long… Not every angel and saint took pride passion into their jobs. Especially one; he had enough of being whipped into order and promoting it.

What did this mysterious, once-heaven dwelling being do?

Simple. He trashed where he worked, ran away from Heavenly Kingdom and left behind a trail of ash towards the Bridge of Good Evil. The trail faded away on the good side of the bridge that led to the Heavenly Kingdom and ended at his current home; Hell. A massive palace he made out of sin, anger, greed, lust, negativity, darkness, the strongest obsidian, his magic and pure evil. This palace became where he, The Devil, his family-army, the Demons, and his friends dwell. Duncan, the Devil, created the 7 deadly sins and encouraged man to resist God. No one dared to visit ever since...

Which leads us to our story's beginning…


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OCs and the plot. Enjoy the first chapter of The Angel and the Devil! **

_(Courtney's POV; 2 years later)_

I'm my room and getting ready to meet the Kind Council; they organize the major kingdom events and speak for the people in each area of the kingdom on different issues. I began to think of a few questions for them myself, like, what happened to the runaway angel? Has anyone considered reasoning with this 'Devil' character? I've been quite fascinated by the stories about him for quite a while now. Maybe the runaway angel is the 'Devil' and needs someone to bring him down to reality? "Courtney? I'm here to do your makeup and get you ready." Erin raps on my door; with an urgency in her voice. "Oh, Erin! I forgot you were coming! Come in. Do you need anything?" I open the door into my room and give her a genuine smile.

Erin and I are best friends and have been since we were little and started growing in our angel wings. "Courtney, why do you always ask so many questions about the Devil? Do you think he's hot or something? You haven't even met the guy! Don't tell me you're going to ask about him at the Council meeting…" my (only) friend brings up the subject as she applies a light, subtle red lipstick on my smooth lips. "There. I know you don't like too much makeup so this is it for now." Erin explains. "Thanks Erin, you're the best." I grin back at her with gratitude.

I look out the window at my perfect view of the Bridge of Good Evil, as well as the massive, gory, dark, black palace with an wooden, dark oak drawbridge and a lava moat surrounding the palace in the distance. I can't help but wonder, what's over there. "You're looking out the window, again 'Your Highness.'" Erin giggles; bringing me to reality once more. "Erin, I told you not to call me that! But-but, haven't you ever thought about more to life than being cooped up in this castle covered in white?!" I counter her reminder stubbornly in denial. "Sure…You look gorgeous. Go and try to focus on what they're saying and NOT the 'Devil' crap, okay? Dang it! I cussed again! Sorry God!" Erin covers her mouth as I let out an uncontrolled laugh. "I will, I will… Thanks Erin," "'Tis always an honor. Just kidding Courtney, you're welcome." My best friend replies playfully; like usual. I open my bedroom door; ready for the meeting and filled with confidence.

One of these days, I'm going to venture out of here and find the answers I'm looking for. You can bet on it for sure; I always go for (and usually get) what I want.


	3. Chapter 2: They Meet

**(FINAL Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my OCs, most of the setting ideas, and plot. Don't be afraid to review, I love feedback. Back to the story...) **

_(Duncan's POV)_

Tonight's that epic party my boy Geoff and I have been planning forever to throw, I, for one, am too excited. I took out my favorite cigar, lighting it up in the excitement. Time with my people, the demon ladies (who aren't family, DUH.), the drinks; it's gonna (and WILL BE) perfect. And who knows what might happen. "Hey Duncan, my best Friend Forever Yeah! Got the best shadowy tux for ya! My girl's friend Jen sewed it up with that "friendship stuff". Here, take it!" Geoff intrudes on me with that embarrassing nickname again and flings the tux into me. "Dude, it's the Devil, remember? Makes me sound more sexy and badass." I sighed in faint frustration; looking out the window to my doom-room and seeing the Heavenly Crap-dom in the distance. "You miss that bright city life, bra? Wonder what the Princess looks like; might be the chick for you and a bestie for Bridge!"

As if! Sometimes, Geoff gets these stupid ideas in his chill head, but it doesn't bother me much. I drop my cigar, crush it with my foot and throw it away. I have Elianna polishing my dark blood-red horns right now as i put on my black and red spiky dog collar-choker. "You're looking smokin', Dev! Can't wait for the big party! Let me know if I can help with anything. Love you!" She compliments and gives me a peck on the cheek. "I'll let you know sunshine. But just enjoy it for now and thanks or whatever with the horn job. You always do it just how I like it." I grin. She blushes and walks out; that little ex of mine…

"Duncan, don't you have a thing for Eli? She does for you. Crap why did I say that?!" Geoff comes back in; taking a seat on my reaper skin chair. "No no no! Eli might be hot as hell and all but she's just another ex to me." I honestly tell him. If you don't think a reaper skin chair is cool enough, you should see my killer throne! Before I can say anything else to my bro, I hear a loud, sharp knock at the entry door. "Great. Probably one of those stupid saints trying to get me back… But I'll get it anyway." I groan. I flap my average-sized Devil wings over there, and open the door to see this fly little chick about a year younger than me holding a white hand carry and wearing a sleeveless white dress that gives me great look at her cleavage and rack. Man, she got a nice rack! She's got a classy little tiara on her head, snow white angel wings that drape down to her ankles, shoulder-length brown hair, a mocha skin tone, bright red lips and heck! She looked like a friggin princess! Princess, I like that. Everything about her turned me on.

"Ummm… Hello? You aren't the Devil or the runaway angel by chance are you?" she looks up at me shyly with these gorgeous onyx black eyes that just glimmered in the lava-light. I mean, DAMN! "That's me, Princess. Now let me make your dreams come true and give you the time of your life.." I wrap my arm around her waist and give her one of my classic flirty smirks I used to use on Elianna when we were still a thing here. "Ewww! Absolutely not! Knowing you, you're probably going to go perv-y on me like the very few immature male species back home." She shrieks and turns away from me with her arms crossed. Oh no, she's not going ANYWHERE as far as I'm concerned. "You're not leaving anytime soon, Babydoll. The drawbridge is gonna close in a matter of seconds and Besides, I have magic on my side…" I smirk again; cackling in my head. (But not the extremely creepy kind though) She suddenly starts to shiver in fright. (even though it's like a hundred degrees over here!) "W-What do you m-mean magic? I'm not scared! I can fight you!" Princess backs away onto the drawbridge cautiously. She has this way of being cute when she's trying to be tough. While Princess is distracted, I poof up behind her, wrap my arms around her warm, slim waist. Then I bring her back inside and explain myself: "well, I have the power to control wings, make 'em stop make 'em go. Lure all beings or whatever to my will, use as many of the seven deadly sins on 'em as I want and as strong I want. The list goes on, Princess…"

I bring her into the party room as all my people (and a few of the Demon ladies) decorate with the skulls, fake vampire bats, and the usual junk we use for this type of thing. "I don't want to be here anymore! Let me go home!" Princess tries to yell before I successfully cover her mouth with one of my hands. Unfortunately, Elianna notices Princess I monitoring the work and come up to us. Crap this is sooo not what I had in mind… "Hi Devi-Bear… Wait a minute. You brought the Angel Princess into OUR PALACE!!! What the hell is WRONG WITH YOU!" My ex-girlfriend whisper-screeches at me with the death glare from her shiny Garnet-red eyes that come alive when she's pissed over something. "Who the hell said this was OUR palace! As far as I'm concerned, this is MY PLACE. GOT THAT! I have full right to KICK YOUR ASS outta here whenever I WANT so REMEMBER that!" I growl at Elianna with wrath. I have a feeling that Princess is flipping terrified and I don't know why… I turn Princess around to face me, stare into her eyes and ask her in my normal voice, "Wait, you're the real princess?" She looks down and her cheeks color-change from the mocha matching to her skin tone to a tinted bright red. It was a cute sight… "I couldn't help but wonder…" "How I survived Princess? I live in luxury; you could live it with me if you wanted…" I waggle my eyebrows; then step back awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't just…intrude on your everyday lifestyle and leave my world behind. I'm going to be Queen next year I have to be ready when I do." Princess gazes sincerely into my dark teal-red eyes.

"Pleeeeeease Princess, You could stay here for a few days and come to this party me and my bro have planned in this very room." I plead; entangling the fingers on my left hand into the ones on her right. She looks away and softly whispers in my right ear with the piercing on it: "If that's okay… I don't wanna be rude. That's just not the way I was-" I interrupt by turning her face to face mine, leaning in, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her soft, smooth bright red lips. Princess was feisty at first; struggling to be freed from my arms. I like feisty... Next thing I know, she's kissing me back; closing her eyes, wrapping her hands around my neck and the spikes on the back-ish of it and pulling me closer to her alluring face. Then, she opens her mouth and lets out a soft moan unlike any other. I could hear it for the rest of my friggin life if I wanted to! (Which I do.) Perfect time to step it up! Should I? No. I release my grip on her and take a step back at what just happened. When I look around, everyone decorating the room for the party was staring at us; absolutely stunned. Elianna backs away from us with tears flowing down her face "W-why? W-what th-the hell is wr-wrong with y-you? One moment: you love me with all your stupid heart and the next you're holding the Princess of Angels and Saints and-and giving her one of th-the most passionate k-kisses I've seen y-you give anyone who lives here…" I hear Elianna distantly before she floats quickly out of the room sobbing her heart out.

Princess calls out after her, "Hey! Wait! I don't know what I did but I-" I decide to put a finger on her lips; her soft, soft lips. Damn Elianna! "Don't worry about her, She'll get over it in the next week or so. We aren't a thing anymore anyways, so it's fine..." I reply calmly; toying with her shoulder-length milk chocolate colored hair. "It's not right to just leave someone like that! All sorrowful and alone.." She whimpers.


	4. Chapter 3

**(Review if you want! I love feedback.)**

**(Courtney's POV)**

I feel just horrible for what I did to that demon-girl; but the Devil's trying to make it all better and I'm not even sure why! "How could you do that to someone like-" I hate being interrupted, don't you? He plays with my hair again, then pulls me in for another kiss… My second one; it feels like absolute madness that I'd never want to leave behind… He has this smell of citrus, and fresh blood blended with cherry juice or something.

I didn't expect the Devil to taste like the fresh apple cider served during the Autumn Service Feast back home. "You know Princess, you taste good. Really good. Like sweet cinnamon cookies or one of the fine wines I've got coming over for the party." I push his chest as I far as I can from mine and talk back sassily with my hands on my hips: "This is really starting to bother me, I mean, can't I just finish a sentence in peace without you kissing or trying to kiss me in between. It's totally annoying and how am I even supposed to address you when I'm trying to make conversation or something? 'The Devil'? I'm very sure that's not your real name, everyone has one. And do you know where I-" He annoyingly puts another one of his fingers to my lips...again. "1, I can't help myself. You're just too much fun to play with, Princess. 2. Call me whatever, but mine is Duncan, 3. If you're looking for clothes, steal from Elianna's closet or ask Bridgette or Jen and Gwen or something, and 4. I get why those pervs back in the Crap-dom just can't resist ya, sweet cheeks." He hisses seductively; which is totally uncomfortable. "But I can't just steal from her, she probably hates my guts right now because you're giving me your undivided attention. It's not the right thing to do…" I look away from his face and the piercings he has: 1 on his one of his eyebrows, 1 on the left side of his nose, and one on one of his ears.

_Don't even get me started on his hair…_ "Gosh, where do you not have any piercings?" "Wanna find out, Princess?" He does that annoying thing with his eyebrows again. "Eww! Not in a million years. Never mind." I squirm on the inside and look away. "I'm sure you want to." "I don't!" "Sure…" I groan and give up.

I wish I just took Erin's advice, this is just turning into one of those bad dreams I had when I was 12… Now that I think about it, I feel like she's been here before. I'll ask him about her, "Did an angel named Erin ever visit you? She's one of my-" Once more I'm interrupted as he attempts to kiss me again. First, he goes about gently stroking my left cheek with one of his hands, then leaning in towards my face and pulling my body towards his. But you know what? I've had enough of this! Before he gets to close for me to not be able to counter his attempt, I kick him where 'the sun don't shine' (hard) and fly away from him as fast as my wings can transport me until… Poof! My wings stop moving; I'm stuck in mid-air and then I remember he has magical abilities. Dang it! "OWWW! What the hell was that for Princess?! God, I was just messing with you. Besides, you're a damn good kisser! I should know, 'cuz I have lots of experience in that field…" 'Duncan' waggles his eyebrows again in a way that's even more uncomforting… Next thing you know, I'm back in his arms, our faces merely centimeters away from each other and our noses touching. I'm being distracted but then I remember: "You still didn't answer MY QUESTION! Do you know an angel named Erin or NOT! I'm done with this! Can't I at least have a room to use to stay away from you?" I roar furiously at him, then regret it. "God, please forgive me, please, please-"

He interrupts me again. "Shut your yapper, Princess. That's just a sign that your wild side is dying to come out. And jeez, Did anyone ever tell you to use your inside voice? My ears are withering away! God!" I smirk in response and innocently add, "If I'm bothering you so much, why can't I just leave and pretend this nonsense never happened?" Shouldn't have said that. "Feisty, huh? What you don't know about me, Princess, is that I actually happen to dig feisty…" He growls lecherously; interested in me even more. "Please just show me around and to my room so I can actually enjoy this experience. It's also rude to use the Lord's name in vain!" He rolls his eyes, finally obeys, and shows me each room in the palace except my room as I specifically asked him to. "Thank you for the tour but, didn't I also ask about where my room would be or is?" I order in the most polite way possible despite how frustrated I am. "I was thinking, that since you're so special, you deserve to share a room with yours truly…" He strokes his blood-red mohawk cockily. Guess I really am in the situation where I'm 'dancing with the Devil' as I've read about in all those proverb books. "I don't think you've noticed, but I have a mind of my own and I'm going to speak it whether you like or not. Therefore, I am not going to follow through with this!"

I put my hands on hips, address him by looking away, and I think showing the Devil who's boss actually worked! "Let me say it again, do you know where my room is?" It fails, "Look Mrs. Goody Goody, I don't give a shit if you want your own room, you're joining me whether you like or not!" Before I can say anything else, he tries to kiss me again; leaning in and all that. (Ewww.) I slap his face (hard), take a few steps back and insist; enraged, "Well then you must be a horrible host, no wonder no one comes to visit. And stop with the pet names! I'm also not married." "You seriously need to get that pole out of your butt and unleash your temper differently. Did I mention you're even more sexy when you're pissed?" Duncan seethes lustily. "You are such an Neanderthal. And a creep, and a pest and-" He puts a finger to my lips again. Ugh… "One of the perks of being the Devil and I know you want me like I want you..so shush sweetheart. And if you need something else to wear for the party, feel free to go see Jen, Bridgette and Gwen. To answer what you've been complaining about like a baby, babydoll, yes, I knew Erin. She was one pretty babe, one of my old playmates. We made out when she was 13 and I was 15, and next thing you know she applied for a job to work for the Royal Family and I never got to play with her again. Those were the days…" Then the Devil reaches out to hold my hand and looks up at the ceiling of his lavish palace. "Are you okay? I miss her too, so you're not alone. I wish there was something I could do to cheer you up; seeing people sad makes me sad too." Even him? Even him, it seems…I gaze up into his teal, dark red eyes; sincerely with heart for a change and hold his hand.

What's happening? Am I actually falling for him? No no no no no, that's ridiculous… Right?

I let him hold my hand and I feel weird; like I'm going to throw up. It's too strange, and we've just met! I don't know what's happening to me. I feel like I'm being understood at the same time and this...is just creeping me out! "Well, there is one thing." Duncan peers down at me. "What is it, Dun-can? Duncan? Was that right? I don't like to mispronounce people's names, it gets kind of awkward and embarrassing." "You did fine." A pure, tender smile emerges from his lips that makes me blush. I just can't control my cheeks sometimes. Stupid cheeks. "...Anyway, I used to grow lavender with my mom before I ran away and I'd bring a bunch for Erin once a month. Maybe I could teach you to poof a bunch up for me…" He looks at backs away from me; releasing me from his strong yet gentle grip. Probably embarrassed.

"Of course! That's nothing to be ashamed of. Believe it or not, lavender's one of my favorite scents in the whole afterlife world!" I flutter my wings back into his arms, look up into his, his exquisitely-colored eyes, blush and beam honestly. For some reason, I feel comfortable there. Like I'm lying on my cozy bed back home. "Really? I have something with the Heavenly Crap-dom's Princess?! I must be drunk again… I probably need some lava-juice or something." He chuckles; stunned. "No you're not!" I giggle; amused for once at his silliness that isn't perverted for a change. Only I don't really get it. "You could poof some out of nowhere later, since I don't know how to. Anyways, I'm still hurt that you called my home the 'Heavenly Crap-dom'; that's just rude! And by the way, what's lava-juice?" "Oh, it's like water made of lava that doesn't burn your mouth and digestive system to death here on Hell. Only it tastes a little sweeter, since being bad can be pretty fun when you get the hang of it. If you want, I could teach you some magic." We fly together up a really long spiral stairwell to his room and I sit on this weird chair that was actually extremely comfortable when we got there. "Really?" "Yeah, you should try it sometime. It would be cool to be a teacher. I wanted to ask you since you accepted my invitation, what's your real name, Princess?" He asks while getting comfy on his antique dark black bed. It has black pillows, a black headboard, and even a black comforter! Only there's a devil-horn pattern on it. Figures I guess. "Courtney. Princess Courtney. Speaking of which, I would really appreciate it if you stopping always calling me Princess. I mean it was cute and all at first but now it's just getting old." I answer honestly; not wanting to get on his bad side again. "Awww, you said it was cute! But, you are a Princess and you're one to me. It suits you better. Crap! Why the hell did I say that! Heh, heh, heh..." I blush and stifle a bashful giggle. "That's too sweet of you to say, Duncan." Should I? Only live once, right? I walk up to him and give him a small peck on the lips.

_This is changing everything. What's happening to me?! I'm not falling for him, am I? That's right. I'm not having feelings for him._

Honestly, this experience has been really cool and refreshing so far; everything here is different. No royal lessons, no seeing nothing but the color white, (not necessarily, though) no suitors needing attention, new people. It's so neat and exciting! "I can't wait for the party tonight, Duncan! I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun; unlike those boring balls I have to go to in Purgatory Province." I notice a tint of pale pink on his cheeks and I smile again.


	5. Chapter 4

**(Warning: Sorry if the characters from Total Drama are kind of out of character at different points of the plot but that's sort of the way it is, so yeah. Here's chapter 4!)**

**Duncan's POV**

I can't believe she did that! I hope she didn't see me blush, that would have been too awkward. Because I. Do. not. Blush. I've been full-out kissed by other girl-like-beings before, but hers felt...so unique, in the best way I can think of. Maybe being in love with the Princess wouldn't be too bad… Think I'm feeling it hard."Duncan? DUNCAN!" "Huh?" I get out of my thinking in confusion from hearing her voice. "Should I wear this dark violet spaghetti-strap dress with a black-opal necklace and these pale Purple Heart dangly earrings I brought with me or this dark red top with a short black gray striped pencil skirt to the party?" "Does the violet thing show more?" I look up at the ceiling like an idiot immediately regret doing so. "Yeah, why? Duncan, I also have something else to ask you." "Okay then, I say the violet thing, I was gonna ask you something first so I go first…" Sigh, why is this so damn hard!!! "Courtney, you wanna be my date to the party or whatever?" I pretend to not attention by looking the Nitrous Death 3 movie poster on my wall. Speaking of which, that was a good movie. She flies up to me, pecks my cheek, blushes, and answers with: "That's sooo sweet of you! I'm flattered! Of course, you dork…." I gotta admit the dork part hurt but I'm just going to assume Princess was just being silly. "Princess, I am NOT sweet, remember." "Yeah yeah…" she rolls her eyes. "Do you know what you're going to wear? Tell Jen and Bridgette I say thanks for the second outfit to choose from. You have really nice friends, Duncan. all I have back home is Erin and the Royal staff to keep me company and help me out when I need it the most." "Geoff got me an awesome tux I'm wearing right now, and I got this 'roasted rose' from Elianna I'll have in my tux pocket. Glad I'm not going with her… What did you wanna ask me again?" I ask her as she adjusts her necklace. "While I get dressed, could you give me some privacy? It would make me really un-" I interrupt with a short sweet "Sure."

As much as I'd have fun watching, like I used to when Elianna would let me watch her undress and drool up a storm, it felt wrong to do it to a girl so innocent and fragile. By that, I mean Princess. "I'm done Duncan! I need your opinion, do I look okay?" I inspect her top to bottom and get absolutely flustered. Now, I can't think of anything to say. "Duncan? Do you not like it? Am I...ugly?" I see her start to pout in this 'charming' sort of way and I don't want Courtney to think negative about how dazzling she is. "Hell no! Princess- I mean Courtney. You look more than okay. You look absolutely beautiful, no matter what you wear. You'd probably be even more in nothing at all…" I compliment her, then smirk flirtatiously. "Really, you mean it! Wait, you. Way to ruin a nice moment! Augh!" She complains after realizing what I said after the sappy compliment. Before I can explain myself to her, I hear someone that sounds like: "Hey Duncan, bra! Oh my God, the Princess of HK really is here! I'm Geoff, Mocha! Told you she might be the chick.!" Classic Geoff. Hope he didn't Courtney weird out or anything... "Hi, uh, it's nice to meet you, but my name is actually Courtney. I don't know what you mean by 'the chick', but okay..." Princess greets my bro. "Dude, is she your date to the awesome party of the century tonight?! That would be SUCH a plot twist! Has she met Bridgette yet? Aren't you guys totally pumped?" I sigh at all of his rapid-fire questions and rambling and just answer them to get it over with, "1. Yes, she's my date, and 2. I'm pretty sure, right Princess?" She simply nods shyly and kind of hides behind me. I can't believe Courtney actually trusts me! Just to figure out how much, I reach out my hand to hers and she takes a little time before taking it. "Later Bra! Bridgette and I'll keep Elianna away from you lovebirds!" "Shut up!" We (Princess and I) say at the same time. "You're still lovebirds regardless!" Geoff yells on his way out.

I roll my eyes, "Just ignore him, Princess. Sometimes Geoff can be a bit of an idiot." "He's funny, there's nothing wrong with that. I just need to get used to it." She grins playfully. "You know, 'Devil,'" Court has the nerve to air-quote Devil. I mean come on! That's my proud title! "You might not be such a bad guy after all…" Princess plops on the bed next to me and mumbles. "Maybe I'm not. But if I'm not, then what am I?" I haven't thought about it like that before 'til now. "You're-you're my…" She stutters; looking away the way I did when I asked her out. "I'm your what? Tell me Princess. I promise I'll take it seriously." I toy with her hair and look in her eyes directly. "It's too early to say, Duncan. We just met. I might embarrass myself; this might ruin the world I'll eventually have to return to. And it's only been a few hours," "Oh it can't be that bad." I counter. "Okay, I-I f-feel like you're my tr-true l-" Without thinking twice at what she was just trying to say (which I figured out), I already know. I'm tackling her on my bed and covering her in kisses. On her soft lips, smooth cheeks, one of her ears, and fragile yet sturdy clavicle. "S-s-stop it! I-I'm t-ticklish!" she lets out the most amazing uncontrollable laugh I've heard in my life. "Same here Princess. Believe it or not, none of the girls I've dated made me feel the way you do. You've changed my world, who I am and just complete me." I sigh with relief. Damn this girl is turning me soft! "I don't think I'd want these days to end either. Now, I'd rather just be with you than do anything else in this heavenly world. I feel the same way about you… Duncan, I-I think I-I l-love y-you." Princess strokes one of my cheeks, blushes and pulls me in for another kiss. A full blown one.

I can't believe I got to second base with the Princess of the 'Good People', I just can't! "I love you too, but you better not tell anyone about this, okay? And by anyone, I mean anyone. Got it? It'll ruin my rep and I am not soft." I turn on my tough side as I rub the back of her soft, smooth neck with care. "Even though that's not true, your secret's safe with me, Dunky." She slightly closes her eyes; looking up at me with an honest smile on her lips. "Duncan, as much as I'm enjoying all this one-on-one time, don't you feel like we're… I don't know, forgetting something?" "Putting a ring on it, sweetheart?" I smirk; waggling my eyebrows just to push the little angel's buttons. Shouldn't have done that. "No silly, something else! And as if I'd ever marry you!" she punches my left shoulder. (Probably in denial.) "Wow babydoll, didn't know you were so strong… God, that hurt."

Courtney sighs at me like she's gonna apologize. You know, say sorry and all that. I wouldn't really care; it's fine. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just joking around. Could you ever forgive me?" "Of course, I could never resist that beautiful face of yours. Holy shit, now I remember! We gotta get to that party room ASAP, Princess." She caresses my waist close on the bed while she asks, "Why?" "Geoff will get mad, and everyone else will wanna meet you or suspect that we're it-ing in here if we don't join them!" I sigh; resisting the urge to hold and cuddle with her as she is with me. It's really hard, by the way… "Are you sure? Because I know for a fact that we're not." Princess counters assertively. "If I wasn't sure I wouldn't be reminding you." I explain. "Well I was the one who was trying to remember the party! You were too busy with the love crap! Sorry God!" "Oh so this is my shitty fault now!" "You bet it is!" She growls aggressively, "Fine! Don't be my date!" "FINE! I don't give a shit about a bitch like you anyway!" I howl so loud my horns glow to a darker red. Then, I immediately regret it. "Fine! I don't care..." I hear sniffles, now. Faint, but easy-to-hear sniffles. "W-what i-is yo-your pr-problem! I-I d-don't know wh-what I d-did t-to you to-to deserve this! N-no wonder th-that E-Elianna girl h-hates you s-so much!" She rolls off the bed away from me, sprints into the bathroom, locks the door and weeps her heart out. "Babydoll? Princess? COURTNEY?" I attempt to capture her verbal attention. "W-what d-do you w-want y-you he-heartless liar!" My Princess shrills back; with a stutter in between. I hope she's not crying too much. Being the Devil can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. "I didn't mean it; with all my heart that sentence was nothing but an absolute lie. Please listen to me for a second. Please Princess, I still love you undividedly and with all my heart and I-" "Just shut your deceptive mouth and take me home! As I read in those Bibles, love does hurt…" She unlocks the door, and screeches at me once more.

I can still see tears flowing from her onyx eyes down her cheeks I remember kissing over and over. God, what do I do? I take a risk (as usual), crawl up beside her and sit on the fluffy black carpet on the floor by the 2 sinks. I'm ready to wipe the fresh tears off her face, (her gorgeous face), but then she lunges away from me in a sitting down position; arms crossed, looking down...


	6. Chapter 5

**(Courtney's POV) **

I wish I saw him being a jerk coming… When we first met, I was really caught off guard. At first, he was so immature and obnoxious; I don't even know why I wanted to get answers about the 'mystery of the runaway angel'. No one ever told me except Erin anyway. She always tells me the truth or gives me the answers as a true best friend. I miss her too much right now. Should've read the signs...Duncan just keeps egging me on right now after just breaking my heart!

Who knew I was so sensitive when it came to him?

"Please Princess, just listen to me for one second!" I see him stand up and reach one of his hands out to me with my eyes covered. "We were just mad at each other over shit, and it happens to everyone." "Sure it does," I sigh; ignoring his begging. "It used to be so easy to forgive and forget, but you just have to make it harder! All of this happens in one day, and just when I thought you weren't an annoying, pesky, pervert…" I uncross my arms and look up at him. "Your mascara is running." "What? I never wear mascara." "Well, it's running right now…" He declares; booping my nose. I giggle in response for a second. "What's so funny?" "We just met! I'm not telling you!" I laugh stubbornly. "Come on, you can tell me." "Nope." "I won't tell anyone…" I sigh and grin in response, "Fine. No one besides my parents and Erin ever did that to me. For some reason it just magically puts a smile on my face." I confess; my cheeks flushing bright red. I'm sure my freckles are being revealed to him right now, too... "It's cute. Heck, it's adorable. The way your face glows and your freckles just kind of show..." "Really?" I challenge him. "Yeah. I never noticed that about you 'til now, actually." Duncan looks away from me and fidgets with his dark red tie. I stand up, observe my face into the mirror closest to me and notice that I don't have any mascara on my face. "You lied! I'm not even wearing mascara!"

"I was teasing." He counters; booping my nose again. This time, I laugh even louder and my cheeks are probably flushing an even deeper shade of red. "So...do you forgive me, Princess?" Duncan reaches his hand out closer to me. "This happens to everyone, right?" I take it and smile back. "We have a party to get to, then!" He drags my hand along after wiping the extra tears off my cheeks before leaving the room. "Slow down, Duncan! I can't keep up!" I stop flitting to catch my breath. "Too slow, eh darling? I expected you to be stronger than that!" He flies back to me and responds with his arms crossed cockily. "Is that a challenge, darling?!" I counter his insult. Man, I'm good! "Hell yeah babe!" "First of all, my name isn't 'babe', it's Courtney. And 2nd, you're so on!" I fire myself up and take off so fast, I can't even see him from behind me! "I-I m-made it!" I bend down and rest my hands on my knees from the exhaustion. "What took you so long?" "Huh? Who said that…" I look around survey around the party room; confused. Poof! Has to be Duncan, right? Called it. "Using magic is so against the rules!" I nudge his elbow; annoyed. "You never said that..." He points out. I sigh, he was right. I forgot about how he can use magic whenever he feels like it. "You won this time…" I moan in defeat. "Yes! So, should we go in, m'lady?" Duncan links arms with me and suggests. "Sure, why not." I grasp his hand in mine and smile at him. He snaps the fingers in his free hand and the rose red curtain in front of us; hiding the scene reveals the craziness behind it. "Wow." My eyes explore the festivities taking place. Speechless, I turn to Duncan and he offers to give me a tour. I reply with a short "Sure." while I nuzzle my head into his chest for a minute. He looks down at me and smiles sweetly. You think we wouldn't ever get along, but at that moment, I felt like it was love at first sight even though it wasn't.

In one corner, there's a table for plates, utensils and trays right before the buffet of strange foods. A bar with a shelf of different bottles behind the counter and a few barstools in another corner. (I'm kind of weirded out by the fact that there seems to be a drinking contest over there.) In the center of the room, girl performers are singing and dancing on a coffee black stage and groups of tables with 10 chairs at each table surround the stage. Between the tables, chairs and big stage, a clear area of flooring is laid out; with a bunch of people dancing on it. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see Geoff, Bridgette, Jen and Gwen. "Duncan, we didn't know you had a thing for the Princess," Gwen, Jen, and Bridgette slyly smirk and notice our linked arms and holding hands. "Score, bra! I knew it before she even got here!" "Sure you did, Geoff… Let's just enjoy the night and have fun!" Bridgette smiles at us; relaxed and perky as can be. "What do you guys wanna do?" Jen asks us. "I say check out the bar." Duncan suggests. "Bro, Princess, you in?" He invites Geoff I to go with him. "Totally, dude!" Geoff fist-bumps my date. I shake my head, it's just didn't feel right. "You seriously need to get that pole outta your butt, Princess. Loosen up! It'll be fun…" the Devil twirls me around into his arms, wraps them around my waist and jeers. It reminds me of the way Duncan did that when he said he wanted to give me 'the time of my life'. I start to laugh at the thought of it and I think it's weirding him out. "What's so funny, Princess? That pole finally fell out of your butt?" I roll my eyes at his incompetence. "No! Wait- I meant that was so not funny!" "You're ready for some sin, I can feel it…" He smirks at me lecherously again. "NO! Absolutely not! What do you not understand by Angel Princess!" "Now you're more uptight and bossy than ever before!" the Devil mocks my statements. I hate him sometimes… "Come on, Courtney! For the team!" Geoff gets on Duncan's side and it doesn't really help me try to do the right thing. "I'll give you a 1st good make-out session, after. In front of everyone..." He creeps up behind me; with a devilish smirk on his face. Figures… Again. "Ughhhh! Fine! Only 1 drink!" I grumble. "For the make-out session, eh? Good choice!" the Devil sways me side to side in his arms; looking down at me."NO! I just want you and Geoff to shut up! Also, I want to get this over with so that way I can enjoy this party innocently after." I nudge his chest with all of the strength in my shoulders. It works and I'm out of his grasp. Yay! "OWE! What the hell Princess! Anyways, the bartenders are buddies of mine, I know they'll like you for sure." Duncan drags me over to the bar with Geoff. I hope I won't regret this and God will forgive me for it. Seriously, I mean it!


	7. Chapter 6: The Party

**(Duncan's POV)**

Can't believe Princess is gonna let me give her the first drink and make-out session of her life! I mean her first proper make-out session. Maybe I'm just confused. We approach the fully-stocked bar I had just installed in here for whatever we want. "Trent! Uh, who's the other guy?" I didn't remember hiring the other bartender for the party. He has this interesting orange hair, his devil wings are almost the same size as mine, and this guy even has small black Devil horns! That's MY THING! "Hey man! This is Scott, he's new. Anyways, have you seen Gwen around? I wanted to say hi to her before my shift ends. I'm allowed to party here too, right?" Trent gives me a fist-bump. "By the way, who's your date? I think she's new also." "Yeah man. This, my friend, is the Princess of the Heavenly Crap-dom. And let me tell you, she's one sexy kisser…" She looks shy and awkward seeing Trent. I nudge whisper to her, "Say something." "What should I say?" "Just think of something, Princess." "Hi Trent. I'm Courtney, Princess Courtney of the Heavenly Kingdom. Nice to meet you." She finally replies and puts her hand out. "Hi Courtney, first drink, huh? What'll it be? Scott's arranging the bottles right now so I'll help you guys out for now. Geoff's back already? I'm impressed, he's already had 3 beers, 1 cup of vodka and 2 scotches." He shakes her hand. "YEAH BRA!!!" Geoff is so drunk… I think that Scott guy noticed Courtney and now he's coming over. He better not even think about hitting on her. "No worries, trent. I can help this group out. Who's the foxy lady?" Scott leans over the counter, waggles his eyebrows, and reaches out his hand to Courtney. She looks away from him and blushes. I'm not gonna tolerate any of this bullshit. "Hands off MY Princess, jackass! She's MY date, got it!" I intervene; furious at his crappy flirting. "Duncan! What was that for?! He was just being nice!" Princess slaps my face; defending him. He gives a shark-like smirk when she isn't looking. Ooh that moron is sooo gonna get it before he leaves! "I thought you were supposed to be arranging the bottles. There's still a crate of wines that needs to be organized on the shelf to the left." Trent points to a box in the back I can see from here. "Oh. I forgot about that, sorry. I gotta go take care of that." Scott apologizes to him and goes into the back. About time!

I lean closer to his ear and cup one of my hands, "Thanks, bro. You always have my back." "No problem. I know you'd do the same if I was in your position. Only the other guy would be hitting on Gwen instead of Courtney." He smiles back at me. "Anyways, what are you gonna have, Duncan?" "The Lava Lover; only instead of the lava juice-rum, add beer with the juice separately. Could you do that in the same cup?" I tell him what I wanted. "Sure thing. Courtney, what are you gonna have tonight?" Trent asks her. "I don't know. I've never had a drink like this before…" "Do you want a surprise drink? I can do that for you." "What do you mean?" Princess looks at the shelves of bottles of alcoholic beverages. "He's gonna concoct a random drink for ya and you get to take a sip. If you don't like it, he'll make another one for ya instead, sweetheart." I sum it up so she doesn't get confused. But it's kinda cute when Princess doesn't understand things I do. "Oh. Then you can surprise me I guess." She decides. "IT'S GONNA BE GOOD!!! YEAH!" Geoff jogs around senselessly with without his fancy shirt on; drunk as hell. "He sure loves his drinks." Trent tells Courtney since I already know that. I mean, after knowing him for so long, it's kinda obvious... "Yeah… How does Bridgette handle it?" Princess asks the guy. "She gets strict, but only when it goes out of control and her boyfriend turns into an absolute nutjob." I interrupt my bro before he can answer. "Here you go Courtney. The Pretty Porcelain. It has hints of raspberry wine, blood orange vinegar, and a faint flavor of watermelon." Trent slides he glass to her without spilling or breaking it. "Go on, have a sip. It won't kill you darling." I just love to push her buttons sometimes. "You said you would… And don't forget that make-out session." I practically purr roughly in one of her ears. "Wait- UGH! Fine darling." She grumbles. "Remember if you don't like it, I can make you something else, okay?" Trent reminds my Princess. My Princess...I like the sound of that. "Come on, at least he's being nice." I tap her shoulder and smile innocently.

"Well that's true. Thanks for being so understanding, Trent." She grins at him sweetly, wraps her fingers around the stem of the cocktail glass and takes a large gulp. "How is it Princess?" I ask her; I'm curious to hear what she has to say. "I, I LOVE IT! The flavours of each component complement each other perfectly and I love the special touch of the watermelon. It's sweet tart, reminds me of myself…" She gazes up at me with lots of energy. (Surprising, in my eyes…) "So you don't wanna try anything else, right?" Trent turns around referring to the amazing crap on the shelves behind the counter. "No, I'm good for now." my Princess slurs; taking another sip of her cocktail. I'm proud of her. I really am; she's loosening up and turning me on even more. By a lot. "You want that 1st make-out session, Princess?" I take a seat on the barstool next to her. Before she can let me know, that jackass Scott comes back out again… "Hey Trent, I think your shift is over. Go enjoy yourself while I handle the drink-making. What poison did you pick, sweetheart?" he asks her just to push my buttons; I absolutely know it! "Oh, just the Princess Porcelain, Princey or whatever." She boops his nose and smiles flirtatiously. My Princess did not just flirt with him when he used one of MY nicknames for her. I flipped that Scott guy off before saying, "Let's go Princess. And bring your drink with you." "Why?" Courtney asks me innocently. I'm pissed off, but I can't lash out on that face… "You should try the food. It'll be better for your system." I drag her along. "Oh, ok." she follows me. "Thanks for taking care of me Du-Du-" "Duncan." I finish her sentence. "Right. I appreciate it a lot." Princess drags me towards a table instead, lays on it and pats the blank space beside her. I think she wants me there, but I don't wanna make her feel uncomfortable. I tend to do that addressing her for some reason. "Come 'ere, Devil. Give me that "time of my life' you promised." Courtney pulls her dress down a little and cues me to join her. She lays down on the table and licks her lips seductively in amusement, then I do the same and regret it. Usually, I'd gladly jump in, but this time I'm nervous. I never get nervous with this type of thing. She's drunk now. "Princess?" "Yeah?" "I'm gonna get you something to eat and a glass of lava juice." "Oh, okay. Come back soon though Dunky… I'm an impatient girl..." Courtney bats her eyelashes filled with lust; making this harder to do. Drunk girls are usually lots of fun, but drunk Princess just isn't right to me. I have to get her back to normal. I hope she doesn't throw up anytime soon, because I'm pretty sure Court won't hold in her drink for long. Conveniently, I know who can help…


	8. Chapter 7

**(The Gory Girls are like the strippers of Hell...enjoy!)**

(Gwen's POV)

Trent, Bridgette, Jen and I are really having fun. We took it easy on the drinks earlier so we could enjoy ourselves without going crazy like someone we know. (Cough cough, Geoff, cough cough.)I just got a mini glass of Chardonnay, Jen got a non alcoholic root beer, and Trent got a Piña colada. Bridgette doesn't do alcoholic beverages; she doesn't want to end up like her boyfriend. "This is so nice you guys!" Jen sways her hips back and forth to the playing song's cool beat. We're all out on the dance floor; moving and chatting actively at the same time. "Duncan?" I turn around after feeling a tap on my shoulder. "Yeah it's me, Who else would it be? The tooth fairy who pays kids for their teeth to make out with them because she has no one to be with?" He cackles from behind. I roll my eyes since the Devil does this kind of thing to everyone, all the time. "So what's up weirdo? If you want, feel free to join us, since Elianna hasn't crept up on anyone connected to you yet and stuff." I scratch the back of one of my ears. Even though we're really great friends and a chill team, it can get awkward sometimes. "I'd love to, but Courtney's first hangover is seriously weirding me out…" "Wait, wait, wait. The Princess of Angels and Saints is having a hangover?!" Bridgette invites herself into the conversation. "Uh, yeah Malibu. Where've you been, hiding under a surfboard?" He roasts her. Most of the inhabitants here, like Trent, Bridgette and Jen are angels that just wanna be free from the crappy kingdom world. Some are from Purgatory and were forced to be here because of stupid things we did there, like me. Others, like Geoff, followed the Devil here after he left. The rest Duncan created after running away building the most epic hangout ever… There's room for everyone and all, but he's the only one that gets the best of the best. And the occasional girl he shares the glory with. He's had many, but the only one that's lasted the longest has been Elianna. At least, until he broke up with her and the Princess popped up out of nowhere. We're actually really good friends now. He doesn't let her out of his sight and it's kinda creepy in my eyes. "What you said to Bridgette was rude, wannabe badass. So what are we supposed to do about it?" I still don't get why Duncan can handle his own problems. Doof. Actually I remembered that this girl called the 'Princess of the Sea of Souls' or whatever actually stayed with him the longest. My bad…"Could you get this stuff to her?" "Wha-" "Thanks!" Ditcher.

Bridgette looks confused as I do. "Where's he off to?" "Ignore what he said to you Bridge. Sometimes he can be a bit of an idiot. Anyways, none of us know…" I look off into the crowd for a second, then back at my friends. Thanks Gwen, but I can take care myself. For now we have to give Courtney this blood-puff and lava-juice." I comfort her and get us back on track. "Wait. Gwen, that doesn't have real blood in it, right?" Trent taps my shoulder innocently. "NO silly! It's just a gourmet ketchup filling with a mixture of bacon roasted tomatoes." I laugh at him. Having a boyfriend like Trent is really nice and we can just kind of go with the flow. Back to reality, I guess. "So who's gonna do it?" she asks us. "Who's gonna do what? Please don't tell me one of you is going to perform on stage and do a stupid dance like the Gory Girls do… Those girls are sooo gross!" Jen jumps into the conversation now. "Well, at least no one else heard that. The music is perfect to hear, but people in groups can still talk to each other." Trent smiles in relief. I do too. "I'll do it. Besides, she's one of my best friends. It's already been a day and I feel like we know everything about each other." I groan, confess and volunteer. "Okay, all yours then." Jen steps back from me. "I'll go with you, just in case something bad happens." Trent offers. Sometimes when he does this sort of thing, I can see his cheeks flush into the faintest shade of 'millennial pink'. "Okay, thanks…" I take his hand and we start searching for Courtney.

It wasn't that hard to find her, but what she was doing was the problem. "WHO WANTS TO SEE DANCE WITH THE POLE!!!" Instead of wearing the amazing dress I saw her wearing earlier, the Princess (of all people) has one of the skimpy, revealing charcoal black blood red Gory Girl 'uniforms' on and is doing these stupid dance moves around the pole on stage. For some reason, it's making all the guys (except Trent, thank God…) go bonkers but me and my people are just grossed out. I think I even see Duncan staring at her with weird eyes, too! (Bleck.) "Courtney, we have food…" I awkwardly take a stab at getting her to stop and listen to me. "This is going to be harder than I thought." I explain to Trent. "Yeah no kidding." He chuckles back. "Hey you two. Since when was the goody-two-shoes Princess a stripper?" Elianna. We try to ignore her and focus on stopping Courtney's hangover. Stupid hangover. "Is Devi-bear here? I wanted to ask him to dance." She asks us; intent on taking away our focus. Before Trent can respond in a nicer way, I start finish with a "Don't know, don't care." and smirk.

"COURTNEY!" I get the strength to unleash a massive yell. "La la-Gwennie?" Yes! "It's me, I wanted to give you some eats before you get back on stage and do that trick…" I smile in the distance; attempting to be easy-to-see. "Oh, okay. BREAK FOR THIS CRAZY EVERYONE!" She screeches and points at me. The guys other than Trent in the audience groan. (LOL)"Hey, do you think she's actually gonna take it?" I squeeze his hand a little tighter. "Probably just went to get changed. I wouldn't eat and drink wearing that." my boyfriend sweetly laughs and assures me. "Yeah. You're probably right." I lean my head on his shoulder standing up. "Hey guys...What's going on?" We hear a voice that sounds a lot like Courtney's. "You scared us! Here, eat and drink this. No more cocktails for you…" I slap her face before putting Duncan's gifts on the nearest table for her. "Awww! Okay. Wait what? What's going on? Why are all the guys giving me obnoxious looks? Did I-" She's monologuing again and back to normal. Yes! I stuff the blood- puff in her mouth to shush her. Courtney is a really wonderful person and all, but sometimes, she needs to just loosen up be quiet. "Mmm. this is really good. Who made it?" I hear her say with her mouth full. "Is she back to normal?" Bridgette glances at Courtney; making sure she's okay like I am. "Seems fine to me. I think we did it, you guys." Trent fist-bumps each of us one at a time. I'm pretty sure he's right, though. Before I can add any input, I feel someone shaking my body from side-to-side really quick and yell "BOO!" in one of my ears. "Shut up, Duncan." I roll my eyes again and snicker. "How's my Princess? Is she not being an idiot anymore?" He massages her shoulders anxiously. "I'm right here genius! And yes Duncan, I'm fine. I'd really love to have my drink back though. It was delicious. And what did you guys do again?" "Save you from the worst and most embarrassing hangover I've ever seen. Like ever. No more cocktails for you Courtney. By the way, Elianna stopped by. She wanted to ask the Devil to dance..." I announce out of the blue. "Hey! She needs to leave him alone! Not that I care… I don't! He's clearly bothered when that girl's around. That's all...no big deal." her cheeks show the faintest shade of bright red after defensively ranting.

I think the Angel Princess is in love with the Devil. Never mind; I don't think, I know. It's way too obvious. "You like him, don't you?" Jen stifles a laugh in the background. "I DO NOT LIKE HIM!" Courtney growls. "You think he's attractive and sexy…" I add on. "EWW!!! As if!" You're such a liar, Princess." He cracks up. "I have quite a few reasons not to: you're annoying, obnoxious, immature, perverted, a bu-" And then Duncan interrupts her with a passionate kiss (as far as I'm concerned, anyway.)Duncan is too predictable. She kisses him back in a matter of seconds and next thing you know they're lying on one of the tables and making out. He pulls the straps on her dress slightly down and starts being gross. "Blech!" Jen groans in disgust. "Tell me about it." I whisper into her left ear. Everyone starts staring at us and I turn away. "Just for the record, I don't know any of these people…" Trent backs out of the situation and I follow him away from the scene. "Awkward…" I pat his hand. After we left, I hear this really loud cheering and it makes me wanna barf. "Tell me about it. I wonder when they're gonna stop! Glad we aren't like that, unless you want to be like that…" Trent looks up from the carpet at my face. "NO! I mean, that's just not my thing and our relationship is perfect the way it is." I smile back in reassurance. I feel like this is the right time. I lean in slowly and kiss Trent extra lightly on the lips and give him a quick hug after. I'm not the compassionate type, but when I am, I show it way more lightly than most girls. "I don't know what that was for, but it didn't bother me. Honestly, I always enjoy being around you, Gwen. Thanks for spending time with me." He smiles back at me after the kiss and hug. "I feel the exact same way, Trent. I have a ball when we spend time together." I wink.. "Speaking of which, I think everyone's enjoying that make-out session over there…" Trent tilts his head towards the scene. Black, red and pink-colored confetti and rose petals come falling down from the ceiling as Courtney Duncan graze on each other's lips, There's a spotlight on them, and the Gory Girls are even attempting to drag them onto the stage! Ewww... Well, life is weird here, but I love it and I'm sure the Princess is too.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I _don't _own Total Drama or any of its characters in this fanfiction. Just the plot, setting and OCs. Enjoy my flowers!**

* * *

I'm still in my PJs, my feathery wings sticking out of my top. He's probably staring at me like a hungry jaguar or something at the moment while I'm curled up into a ball too. "You should wear that look more often. It looks hot on you, Princess." "That's flattering but also really perverted." I blush and take a piece of my hair and hide it behind my ear. "There's always time to be a pervert, darling. And as a bonus, you said you loved me a few weeks ago. What happened to the sweet, sexy, loosened up Courtney I know and love?" "Wait, you love me?" "You're the only one in denial at the moment, Princess. You know you want me and I know I want you. I mean, you're here for a reason babydoll…" He waggles his eyebrows; referring to his room. "Anyways, I'm getting ready for today. We have a busy day ahead of us, darling." I mock his pet name, take out the clothes I planned to wear today, stroll into the bathroom and lock the door. "Ooh busy. I like the sound of that…" I have a feeling the Devil is smirking mischievously while pounding on the door. "Ewww! Sometimes I wonder why we're even a thing." I mumble as I take off my PJs from the night before and put on my white buttoned-up top and pale green flowy skirt. "That's 'cuz you're irresistible and I'm irresistible. Bam! We hit it off and now we're meant to be. All we need is that superhero wedding in Vegas and we'll be set…" Oh brother. "Hey Princess, are you done yet? I'm coming in there whether you're dressed or not." "Feel free. What have I got to lose right now?" "I don't know, your-" "On second thought, please don't finish that sentence…" He opens the door and sees me fully-dressed, except without shoes, of course. "Wow. You look great, beautiful, gorgeous even!" "Really? You mean it!" I twirl around once as my skirt follows my rotation. He stops me in the middle, looks into my eyes and smiles genuinely, "I mean it with all my heart, Princess and I always will." "That's too sweet of you to say…" I get flustered and respond bashfully. "Just to be clear, I am not sweet. Got it Princess!" "You are...but whatever." I let out an innocent, girly giggle. "Eh. If I'm getting whipped over you, I wouldn't have it any other way, babydoll." he brushes his lips against mine. "You'll enjoy what we're doing today, Dunky." I stroke his cheek once before stepping back.

"And by the way, go put some clothes on. Walking around in your boxers in front of everyone while we're having fun with today's plans will really make things awkward." I blush in discomfort. "You know you're enjoying the view, though." Duncan laughs at the look on my face. "No I'm not!" I cross my arms and glance at one of his weird movie posters. "You were last night." "Whatever." "You still are." "STOP ANNOYING ME!" I screech. Seriously, this is getting old. "I love you." he comes closer; I think he's about to do something stupid.

* * *

He finally puts on some clothes; a short-sleeved shirt with a weird-looking skull on it and a pair of semi-ripped dark olive green jeans. Duncan leaves the dog collar with dark red spikes on it that he got for one of his birthdays on his neck. "You look...nice." I inspect him up and down smile. "I thought some white tux with dress shoes or something to be your idea nice-looking." He assumes what I like. "Well, it's your style and I think it suits you." I give him a wink. "We need to do that teeth-brushing thing otherwise we'll have horrible breath all day. You don't want that, right Princess?" "No way!" I fling a pillow at him. I'm just in the mood to have fun, so I'm going to do it. "PILLOW FIGHT!" Geoff randomly opens the door with a pillow tucked under his arm, sprints into the room and flings his at Duncan.

That was kind of funny, random, and creepy all at once… Not what I had in mind.

"Oh it's on, man!" We end up pillow fighting for what felt like hours! "Got you cornered Princess. You're screwed now!" "Oh no I'm not!" I sneer competitively. When he least expects it isn't looking, I steal his pillow and slam it into his face. "Dude! I didn't know you were so good at pillow fighting!" Geoff takes a glance at me; letting out a loud chuckle. "Geoff, man?" "Yeah, bra?" "You forgot to put on some clothes before coming up here." Duncan points that out while I look away and stifle a quiet laugh. "Does Bridgette know you're gone?" I ask him out of curiosity. "No, Bridge is a pretty deep sleeper. Once she falls, she's out cold until someone or a really loud noise wakes her up." Geoff explains to us. "But seriously, for the love of God get some clothes on! And thank God you're not flat out naked!" Duncan yells at him. "Okay, okay! I think you guys are rubbing off on each other. For real." he takes a glare at each of us. Duncan I look into each others' eyes and blush.

Could we be in love and changing partially by spending time with each other?

Thinking about it makes me nervous. And weirded out...


	10. Chapter 9: Back to the Heavenly Kingdom

**(Erin's POV)**

It's been four whole weeks (at least) since I've seen Courtney and I'm really starting to panic. I mean; what if the Head Angel (besides Courtney, obviously.) asks about her? What if another Kind Council meeting pops up out of nowhere on the itinerary and she doesn't show up? What if she went to visit The Devil? What if she got kidnapped going on some sort of trip to visit the Province? I swear (on nothing, of course) that I'm losing my mind! I hear a knock on the door to my quarters, which was chosen to be neighboring my royal best friend (RBFF)'s room and a: "Hello? Erin? Head Angel Heather needs to speak with you about the Princess ASAP! Erin, open the door for crying out loud!" It's my mom… "I'm getting ready! You wouldn't want to see my face without concealer and mascara, right?" I know that fibbing is a sin, but I can't tell them that I don't know what happened to the Princess. I just...can't! Everyone knows that I'm her closest friend and that I have the best relationship with her. And if they find out, it might ruin everything I've worked so dang hard for! My work life, good pay for me and my mom, my friendship with Courtney and all of the gifts that God's given me for all the labor I've done to get this far could be in danger of fading away from my existence! "Oh God, whatever do I do…" I look out my window and plea for his all-knowing guidance. I hear some kind of shoving outside my door and a sassy screech: "Erin, you are sooo dead if you don't open that door RIGHT NOW!!!" It has to be Heather. "But what if-" "No questions until our discussion about that little- I mean, special royal of ours." I know she's got a grudge against Courtney, but I haven't figured out why. Maybe she wanted more flowers or something. I mean, who doesn't love flowers? Probably Heather. Probably she wants to rule though… I can see her as the jealous dreamer now that I think about it.

There's no way out of this I have to stay strong, as I've learned to my whole life… (Except when I was friends with Duncan) The guy was weird beyond imagination, but he was a sweetheart deep down and always knew how to plant a smile on my face. I need to focus. Erin, keep it together! The more I think about those times, the more I might cause a flood in the castle with all my tears after what I did to him. "OPEN THE FREAKING DOOR ALREADY!" Heather snaps me back into reality. I don't dare use sass on her, so I just simply open the door and she looks at me with a grimace on her face. "You weren't kidding, girlfriend. Go get ready and I'll be waiting for you in the throne room." After that, I see a fake smile planted on her face that she uses a lot. I wonder what's going on in that big head of hers. Not that Heather's head is actually big… Her angel wings are actually smaller than most angel wings. Probably because of how big her heart is… I mentally smirk to myself just thinking about it. First, I brush my jet black hair with light blue streaks and weave it into a side braid. After that, I put on my white 'save the world' tee, and a white light blue polka-dot flowy skirt. Then, I apply my makeup; the pale pink lipstick, concealer on my face, charcoal black mascara, blush that matches my lipstick and clear lipgloss. For the final touch, I add my favorite pale blue butterfly hair clip onto the side of my hair where I didn't weave it into a braid elaborately. It complements most of the outfits I wear. "Okay, mom! I'm ready!" I open the door; confident and ready for anything. "You always had a thing for fashion, sweetie. Good work on your face, I know you'll find the right person in no time!" She laughs daintily with a proud expression on her face. I blush with my blush on regardless at the flattering compliment. "ERIN! Finally, you're here. That took so long!" Heather groans impatiently and drags me into the throne room.

Okay, now a few other Kingdom officials are following us and my confidence is evaporating like ice would in a heat wave up here. "Erin," Betty pats down one of the chairs down and greets me. "There is still so much the Princess needs to know and learn about before being crowned Queen of the Heavenly Kingdom. That power is a huge responsibility and God knows what we'll do if she ran away." she stresses out in paranoia. (Honestly, I would too in that position.) "I mean, who wouldn't want the fun and perks of being ruler of the best place above!" Heather finally smiles; slightly antsy at the thought. "I mean, it's important that she returns to the Kingdom as soon as possible."

Now she's taking the situation at hand seriously… Maybe she's jealous of Courtney!

I curl my bottom lip to my left so I can whisper trash about her to Marissa, but we all here a hiss and screech from one of the beautiful stained-glass windows before I'm able to. "What on Earth was that?" Earl adjusts his eyeglasses; perplexed at the noise. It repeats again, only louder and seems to have passed through the walls. "Show yourself before we call the Royal God-Guided Guard!" Heather looks around and yells assertively. "I have some information about the Princess… I'm sure you'd love to hear it." We survey the room and see if anyone said that. "None of us talk anything like that voice." "We didn't say anything either." I mumble clear enough so the others could hear. "Then who did?" Earl grumbles in his old-man voice; his back slightly hunched. "I did." A cloud of ash and dust swirls around in front of the throne. "I think it's a demon." I peep out my guess to the group.

Ironically, I was right! Usually I guess wrong or people trust me, figure out that my judgement was inaccurate, and get angry. A female demon with dark fire-colored hair and horns emerged as the cloud of ash and dust swirling around in the room faded away. Her hair was done in a classy bun; with a few ashy hearts in her hair. But I remember how to identify a demon and a devil. The most obvious giveaway I observed just now or so was her skin tone; which was a pale orange-gray color. Sort of. Her shoes were these black pumps that had a sort of tattered design. They were kinda interesting. Anyways...everyone, including yours truly, is absolutely panicked and terrified. None of us have seen a demon in years since the day Courtney lost her parents… Except Earl, of course; who claims to see them in his dreams. "Y-you know something about the Princess?" Heather asks her; shivering in fear like the rest of us. "Yes, I happen to know where she's hiding…" the demon replies in an eerie yet feminine voice. "Well then, where is she?! The coronation is in a matter of months and if the Princess isn't present, God knows how this kingdom's government will be organized! Besides the Kind Council, of course." Marissa grumbles curious and impatiently. Sometimes my friend gets in trouble for her grumpiness when she gets impatient. "Believe it or not, the Devil kidnapped her! She's currently in his Hell Palace…" our uninvited guest smirks evilly.

"Can we trust her? She is a demon. Demons are known for being deceptive and sketchy. They do whatever they want and only work for themselves! Demons are a mystery, you know? So I'm not sure..." I reflect on my opinion. Now that I think about it, this demon-girl looks really familiar. "To find the Princess, we have no other option, Erin. We must." Leonardo explains. "Thank you! What's your name? By the way, I love your dark red coat. Dark colors are so in style in the Province." Heather points at her clothing and smiles in a friendly way. I don't remember the last time she's done that… "Elianna. I am happy to serve the ones who...who…do great things! Yeah. That's what I meant." she smiles innocently and poofs magically out of our sight. Well, that was extra suspicious… I knew Duncan was a baddie, but I didn't think he'd swoop down this low! I hope Courtney's hanging on and doing okay over there. If you're imprisoned there, it's literally Hell. But if you're not and he's nice to you, it's kind of like a wicked paradise, I guess. I've been there before, a long time ago, so it would make sense that I'd know what it's like. The only thing is that no one but my mom and God (obvi.) have this information. "I knew that despicable beast was never to be trusted! I'm actually glad he left!" Betty gets frustrated at the scandal we have to deal with. "Well, we can't just leave her there in that blazing hot prison." Earl explains; scratching his head. Probably trying to think of a plan like the rest of us. But I already have a plan of my own... "We need to address this rational and reasonably. Maybe I could go and bring her back…" I share my idea. FAIL. Everyone looks at me; horrified at what I just said. "Erin, do you know how dangerous Hell is? It's blazing hot, you could burn to death, the Devil might freaking kill you, the journey is going to be long, you'll have to-"

I interrupt him and reason with the Council, "Yes Earl, I know the dangers of being away from the kingdom's protection. If I don't come back after a week, you guys can just call the Royal God-Guided Guard to save us." "Well, you are really annoying, Earl's too old to go and no one else would be willing so I agree." Heather nods in approval. "Okay, I agree." "We'll miss you." Marissa sighs. "I'll bring back a souvenir for you, promise." I smile and gently pat her left shoulder. "We're trusting your judgement for the last time, Erin. But if this doesn't work, your stable privileges will be taken away for a month." Leonardo adds a consequence. They know my love for the royal horses, unicorns, alicorns, pegasi all too well... "This won't be official unless you yourself agree in writing, Erin. We'll have one of the scribes make a contract for you to sign." Earl explains. "Until that's officially completed, You'll stay here and start packing. Be safe over there, okay?" Betty and Marissa advise me at the same time. I nod in agreement. "We need you verbal approval, ma'am." Leonardo reports; directly addressing me. "I support my decision and the plan of mine going into motion." I clinch and agree with everyone else in the room. "Meeting adjourned." Heather declares; slamming her fist strongly onto the table. Phew! I'm glad that's over. And that the table didn't break. I heard it was crafted from one of the finest marble slabs from at least an era ago. Enough about that; I survived! Haven't felt this good since… the time I played hairstylist with Courtney, or when Duncan would bring me batches of lavender. I miss both of them. "Can't wait to see you soon." I glance at the obsidian palace in the distance from the window. My cheeks feel wet at the memories and the fact that neither of them are here with me.

I stroll back down the hall to visit Courtney's room and can't help feeling victorious. I'll get to see both of the people I've missed so much, AND the chance to show the Kingdom that I can be a hero! This could change everything… "So, how did it go?" Mom interrupts my reflection on the meeting. "Great! Only we had an encounter with a demon…" Wish I left that part out… "Darling are you okay?! That must have been absolutely terrifying!" "Mother, it really wasn't all that," She gives me an intimidating stare. For some reason, my mom has this amazing ability to know when/if I'm lying or not. "Okay, okay. It was super spine-chilling…" just bringing my mind back to what happened releases the fear I felt at that exact moment. "But, Mom," "Yes darling?" "Do you think Duncan would ever do anything really bad? Like, perchance, kidnapping?" I attempt to avoid eye contact with her but I can't. "There are rumors going around that the Devil kidnapped the Princess, aren't there?" Me and my mom are the only ones who know that Duncan is the Devil and ran away from the Kingdom to make Hell his home. Everyone else who knew (except the King and Queen) was brainwashed as a royal decree by order of Courtney's parents to protect their subjects from him. I have to answer her honestly; I never seem to do well with fibbing to my mom. "Yes. There are, but-" My mom pulls me into a tight, yet comfy hug. "I need to tell you something first before I start packing." "Are you visiting your pal Stella in the Province already?! Why didn't-" "First of all, no one uses the term 'pal' anymore and no I'm not visiting her. I'm on a quest. I have to go to Hell to bring Courtney back and save the kingdom." That must have been a lot to take in. "I will NOT allow it. Are you going by yourself?" I mumble a very hard-to-hear 'yes' under my breath. "No, no, no. I won't let my precious gem out there alone. At least bring someone you trust with you!" "I promised the Council already, Mother. It's too late to deny it. Hey, why don't you come with me?" I offer. "Absolutely n-" "Okay! Let's get packing." "That's not what I meant!" she looks fuming so I gently shove her out Courtney's room door and close it.

"Phew." I exhale a big amount of air in relief; even though I know my mom won't come with me. I allow my eyes to explore everything in her room. My royal BFF told me to feel free to enter anytime. (Except when she's feeling down, changing in out of her clothes, taking a shower or sleeping awkwardly, of course.) They stop at the wall she showed me a few months ago. There are exactly 5 beautifully painted murals of the Princess on one of the walls. I gaze into her eyes in my favorite mural where she's sitting on a tire swing with the sunset in the background and genuinely smiling at you; wearing her famous violet dress with lacy black flowers hemmed on the elegant skirt that goes just below her knees. "I can't wait to see you again…" I gush sappily at the mural; pressing one of my fingers gently onto her left hand that's holding onto the swing handle. Whenever she was around, Courtney never let me explore her closet. Why not, you know? I couldn't resist avoiding the door any longer. In her room, there are 2 separate doors; one to her massive walk-in bathroom and the other to her mysterious closet I've never been in. I take a few steps closer to the closet door and very slowly turn the knob. The moment I step into the room, the room brightens more and more. I stroll down deeper and deeper into her closet; I see hundreds of racks of dresses, gowns and other clothing articles. I thought this room had no end, but there was still an clear aisle way to walk on through this tremendously-sized closet. After shuffling what felt like miles, I reach the end!

Seriously, Courtney is sooo spoiled! I take out my distance-measurer my grandfather gave me 5 years ago. Turns out the distance from her room to the closet is 2 miles! Should I take a dress? Only live once… I look through the racks closest to me. I almost give up, but then find the one! This amazing dress I'm bringing to my room is a comfortable, cold-shoulder dress with studs covering the bodice in the shape of a plumeria flower. Its color for the most part is my favorite; aquamarine! It stops covering my body just below the knees and will go perfectly with this dark cyan necklace I have. "Erin! Erin! Where did that strange girl go…" I hear Heather calling for me in the distance. There's more in here, too! Courtney has an entire accessory section; with what seems like a million shelves holding purses, jewelry stands with earrings, bracelets and necklaces on them. There are also bins that have tons of full shoe boxes there. Feels like I'm shopping! Too strange, right? "ERIN! WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU!!!!!" I hear Heather growl at what seems to be at the top of her lungs. I sprint out as fast as I can; my arms clinging to the dress as I go. When I reach her room, I get a hard slap in the face as a welcome gift. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!!" she roars fiercely. "Hi…" "You went in her closet, didn't you." Heather probably noticed the dress. Dang it! "Y-yeah." I mumble. "Nice! I'm impressed. Didn't think a girl like you would do that. Think you could find me a classy dress?" I nod really slowly; stunned and praying to God that Courtney doesn't notice. "Let's go shopping!" she drags me back in there and closes the door. The 4 chandeliers I noticed earlier lit up the room again. "Who knew she had so many clothes…" I let my eyes take in the sights. Again. "Yeah. Anyways, what do you think of this cranberry red sleeve-less? It has that sweetheart design I love. It's gonna be perfect to wear it on my date I have next week." "Wait, you have a boyfriend?" "Doesn't everyone?" Heather inquires teasingly. "I don't." I shyly take a piece of my hair and tuck it behind one of my ears. So embarrassing! "This place is like a giant boutique. It even has lots of seating areas, dressing rooms with hanger-holders and everything!" my shopping 'buddy' points out; probably trying to change the subject. "I'll try it on. Can you wait for me?" "Uh… Sure?" "Great. Can't wait to see how it looks!" I'm sure she's smiling in there. I sit on this freakishly comfy stool and wait. Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz. "Erin, what's that noise?" "I'm checking right now…" I didn't know the friendship phones Courtney I used to use as kids teens still worked!

Since she ran away, I've been holding onto it with me at all times. "One sec, Heather!" "Take your time, girlfriend. Let me know if you find anything I might like!" "Okay." I answer her. "Hello?" "Erin?" "Courtney? Is that you?" "Who else has a friendship phone that can call you! Duncan stop it, stop!! Sorry about that, boyfriends." She giggles out of control. "Wait you're dating him?" "Yeah, why?" "Has he done anything to you yet?" "What do you mean? Duncan, seriously. Cut it out!!! I don't get it." "Did he tell you the 'me' story?" I ask her cautiously. "I think so… why?" "Has he made out with or kissed you or your neck or… b-" "Yeah." Court answers quickly. "WHAT???" "We've been together for at least a few weeks now and I think I'm-I'm…" my royal BFF mutters. "What? Tell me." I sigh; fearful for some reason. "Hey Princess, who you talkin' to?" Can't believe I'm hearing his voice. "Duncan, it's just Erin." "ERIN!" "Yes it's Erin, Dunkie. Relax. Sorry about that. Now he's trying to steal the phone. LET GO!" "No YOU let go!" "Her mom gave it to me years ago. It's mine!" I roll my eyes. They're arguing like a freaking old married couple... "Can I actually talk to him?" I ask awkwardly. "Why? You miss us, don't you?" Tears start rolling down my cheeks; slowly. One by one they fall onto my shirt. "Y-yes. I do. A lot. S-so much I'm h-hanging out w-with Heather…" I vent with the crying affecting my speech. "I feel horrible, how about we chat together? I don't trust him alone with this thing. It means a lot to me." "Sounds great." "Erin! Can you come over here? I need your opinion on this dress." "Uh, let's talk later." I mumble to Courtney. "Wait a minute, are you two going shopping? Without me???" I was uncomfortable with having to answer that question, so I hung up. She never finished her sentence and she usually tells me everything. (Not necessarily, though.) I knock on the dressing room door. "It's open." I open it and the dress Heather chose to try on looks flat out stunning on her. "Does it look okay? Is it too revealing? I want it to be revealing but not too-too revealing." I interrupt her with a compliment, "Girlfriend, it fits perfectly. It's not too revealing, hugs your curves in the right way and everything. Let's bring our awesome finds back to my room before any-" "Already ahead of you." she grabs my right hand, tugs me along, and starts to sprint to my room.

We're in my room now, and I am all out of breath. "Did anyone see us?" I ask her; wheezing in between every 2 seconds or so. "Nope, I think we're in the clear." Heather answers back; looking through the small gap from the closed door. "You have your normal clothes with you, right? Just making sure we didn't leave anything in there." I curiously inquire. "Yep. I also snagged a gorgeous pair of garnet stud earrings from there to go with my new dress." she reveals what her left wrist was covering. "Pretty." I smile back in adoration. "Erin, I wanted to ask you: who were you talking to?" "Uhhhh… Can you keep a secret?" "Of course. You're the only one here who knows that I have a boyfriend from the Guard. TMI!!!" "Okay... you see. I was talking to Courtney on these 'friendship phones' my mom bought us from the village toy store when we were kids before I started working here. And she and Duncan are dating and she's had her first-" "Wait, you had a way to contact Courtney the entire time and didn't tell the Council! Soon, you'll be sooo dead!" I look down at the floor in pure shame. "Eventually. I don't have the nerve to tattle on you. That's childish. After going shopping with someone who gets me, I can't be evil to them. I mean, come on!" Heather lets out this loud laugh. I awkwardly start to crow too. I've never heard her laugh before, It sounded nice. "And by the way, who's Duncan?" I can't afford to tell anyone and I just have to hide the secret. "Oh, just some guy we know." "Okay. Can't help but be curious, right?" she winks at me. "Spending time with you has been too much fun." "Yeah, we should do this more often." I remark honestly. Heather gives me a hug and takes a step back with a pure smile on her face, "Definitely. I'll see you at dinner!" "Bye!" I wave as my (2nd!!!) girlfriend carries her earrings safely in her palm and her normal clothes tightly as she flies out of my room.

This has been a bitter-sweet day, but more sweet.


	11. Chapter 10

**(Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy falling in love with Keith Kogane from Voltron and taking too many naps this week. I'm gonna miss spring break so much! Anyways, here's chapter 10!**

**Warning: it's a little fluffy angst...)**

**(Duncan's POV)**

Can't believe Erin hasn't died yet, being in that crappy place; filled with order and rules… I'm glad to be free here, with my friends, semi-family and my Princess. Anyways, right now we're in that carriage on our way to that winery in Purgatory Province. "I miss her Duncan." Courtney confesses; reaching her hand out to mine. I take it, sometimes we magically understand each other. It's freaky, "Me too Princess. That got me thinking...Maybe she might come here to try to get you back there?" "I hope not. I do want to see her and all, but leaving you behind would change everything. We've got this… special bond, err, connection that I couldn't let go of over anything." "Mmm." I nod; massaging her soft, smooth wrist. "Thanks for everything. It means a lot. After my parents, I haven't had as much fun as I have since I met you." "You...you've changed me."

Seriously! That's all I could say! Ugh… "In a good or ba-" I think she knows the answer. But just to be sure, I wrap my arms around her waist, pull her closer to me, and graze on her soft lips. "What are you doing?" I hear her ask me during the kiss. "Relax babydoll. Just giving you the answer to that question of yours." I release my grip. "Oh." Princess is getting flustered and it's really cute. "Are we there yet?" "Just a few more minutes." She declares. "You said that an hour ago, princess." "Did not!" "Did too!" "Did not!" "Did I mention you turn me on even more when you're pissed?" she sighs and turns away from me. "Hey, did I do anything wrong?" "No Duncan, I just feel a little homesick right now…" "You could go back if you want." "Wait, are you kicking me out?" "Hell no! I'm just allowing you to leave if you want." I retort reasonably. She gives me a peck on the cheek and talks back with, "Dunky, that's really sweet. I'd never leave regardless and I hope you know that. I love you." "I AM NOT SWEET! But love you too, Princess." "That's not true, but whatever." Courtney pulls me closer to her.

I hope this doesn't make her mad, but I'm curious to know, "What happened to your parents?" "Uh…" Her face blanks out as if she's been hit with a sleepy-dart and I'm getting pretty concerned over here. "You don't need to tell me if it hurts or makes you feel uncomfortable." "No Duncan, it's fine. It's just a sensitive topic. No one ever brings it up in the castle as a sign of respect." "I'm not making you mad?" "No." She holds my hand "Are you sure?" "You're starting to." "Okay, I'll stop now." "Good." "Go on." "What do you mean- oh the story." "No durrr." I roll my eyes when she's not looking at me. "Well on my 16th birthday, a big banquet was being held in my honor. All of the kingdom and Provincial residents was invited to the castle and my parents took charge of the arrangements. Anyways, a demon arrived at the party and everyone was horrified beyond reason. The Royal Guard led the people to safety and I was unexpectedly left behind. It was heading straight toward me to eat my soul, but my parents sprinted in front of me and got attacked instead. Their- I watched them die with my-my…" I can see her eyes water as she starts to weep. "Hey, hey. It's okay. We're going to have fun today. You said so yourself." "I-I need to finish the story." "No you don't. You need to stop crying." "Oh-okay." Princess leans her head into my lap; wetting her hair in tears. "I'm here for you and I always will be. Boop?" I try booping her nose, but it clearly fails. Her weeping gets louder and I don't know what to do. "I love you, Princess. No one's gonna do that to you as long as I'm around." I hold her close and gaze into her eyes; feeling butterflies or whatever… A smile plants itself onto Courtney's face, even though there are still tears dripping from her eyes. "Thank you, Dunky." I nod at her and look out the ride window. The carriage stops and I hear those weird pegasi neighing. I think we're here.


	12. Chapter11

**[Here's chapter 11! Sorry I've left you guys on such a cliff hanger. Enjoy!]**

(**Bridgette's POV)**

Boo Boo Bear and I are too excited to join everyone on this trip to the Hearts Horns Winery. We already have a table ready for us! "Why don't you wait here while I tell the others where we are, Bridge?" "I thought I was going to do that." I mumble clearly. "Well I'm fine either way, Babe." One of the things I love about Geoff is how laid-back and mellow, and understanding he is. It complements my personality helps us get along with each other. "Then I'll see if everyone else has made it yet. That ride was really nice. I always enjoy spending time with you." I realize what I just said and blush awkwardly; immediately looking at the framed painting of a bowl of champagne grapes. "Same here! No need to be embarrassed." "Really?" He tilts my head so we're gazing into each other's eyes from about an inch apart. "Yeah! One sec, Bridge. Looks like Gwen and Trent are here." I nod patiently, get up out of my seat, and greet them with pure enthusiasm. "Gwen!" "Bridgette!" we wrap our arms around each other in a heartwarming hug. Geoff and Trent are doing their little hand-fist-bump-arm shake-thing before Geoff wraps us into a huge group hug.

But then I remember something very important... "Hey guys," I mumble. "What's up Bridge?" everyone turns in my direction. "I-I think we forgot Duncan and Courtney…" I confess. "WHAT!" My bad… "So what are we gonna do?" Gwen taps my shoulder gently. "Wait. Is that them?" Geoff cups his hand around one of his ears. "Come on Princess. You're safe, everything's gonna be fine. Just smile." "Are you sure?" "Of course. I won't let anything bad happen to you." "Who knew Duncan was such a softie..." I giggle really softly to Gwen so no one else hears me. They finally come out to the table; he has an arm wrapped around Courtney and it's sooo romantic!

I rush up to Courtney, "What happened to you guys? You took forever to get here! Was the driver an idiot or something?" "No." the couple say at the same time. "Seriously! Did you guys stop and make-" "GEOFF!" I yell-whisper in his ear. Sometimes, he gets really obnoxious and I understand how the Princess feels… "Shut up, man!" Duncan gives him one of those 'looks' and Courtney's blushing, so I'm pretty sure that just made things more weird. "Well, we got a table and everyone ordered already." Gwen breaks the silence. "Thanks." I whisper into one of her ears. "Well, let's treat Mocha to some wine!" "Geoff!" I roll my eyes again. Sometimes he can't take anything seriously. "Well…" "Don't worry about it, Princess. If you don't want any, we won't order it for you." "Thanks." I can see her blush and gaze into Duncan's eyes. I want to squeal so bad, but I think it would weird everyone out. "So, what do you want to order, Duncan?" "The drunk dragon and a bad burger. Are you gonna get the goody-two-shoe food?" "No! Why would you think that?" "Because I love you." they argue like an old married couple…and it's sooo adorable!!! "My parents used to always get the king of kind special. I think I'll get that." "Court, do you know about any good drinks here?" I ask. "I think I'm interested in the blueberry one." Gwen points out. "I only know the nonalcoholic ones but I'm sure you can order whatever and it'll be really good." Court explains.

The food and stuff got to our table and is delicious. "Courtney, you have really good taste." Gwen and I compliment her with our mouths full of food. "Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Cheers to friendship in paradise!" the Princess holds Duncan's hand and raises her glass. "Hey Princess, what's in your glass?" "Oh. My favorite virgin cream soda that's naturally made." "Bet it tastes sweet; like me." "Whatever…" "You guys are sooo cute together!" I couldn't help but gush over them.

We finished our food a little while ago and everything tasted amazing! (Courtney has great taste.) "Do you guys want to call that waiter dude over so we can get dessert?" "Dessert, eh? Sounds good to me…" "Duncan man, just no." Trent lightly slaps his wrist on his forehead. "I'm full…" Gwen, Courtney and I groan all at the same time. "I'm considering splitting the cruel créme bruléé with you. Is that okay, Gwen?" "Let's see how much I can digest, Trent." she mumbles. "What do you wanna get, Bridge?" "Eh, something small and nonalcoholic." "Okay." my schmoopie poo agrees. "Man, you two are so simple; you and Malibu." "That's just the way I like it…" I bashfully nod. "Here's the check guys, do you any dessert or to-go boxes?" "Thanks. My boyfriend and I want get a surprise, Gwen Trent want a cruel créme bruléé, and Geoff and Bridgette-" "We're gonna order the 6 small cupcakes. Could you also bring out 5 to-go boxes for us please?" I interrupt Courtney. "Okay, we'll have those out for you guys in a moment. Wait, are you the Devil? The Devil?! I'll get your order ready ASAP." As the waiter walks to another table, Courtney looks my way; a little annoyed. "Bridgette!" "What? I was just trying to be helpful…" I mumble. "Sorry about that." "Well hey, at least you didn't spill the remains of that soda all over someone." Trent calms her down. "It would have been funny though." Gwen snickers and it makes me laugh too.

Today was sooo much fun; the desserts were super tasty same with the savory eats at that winery. I learned more about myself, as well as my friends. After lunch, Courtney even showed us around this really cool marketplace and we got all sorts of stuff from shopping there! Now we're planning to get back to the carriages and return to the palace. "Thanks for planning such a great day out, Court. We had tons of fun." "Well, I just wanted to thank everyone for making me feel like I belong. It feels like I'm in a fairytale; I've found true love, made way more friends than I ever had in the castle and…" she starts to get flustered on our ways to the carriages. "Are you okay?" I tap her shoulder lightly. "I've never been better." Courtney genuinely smiles wide at me. We give each other a nice; comforting hug. Even Gwen joins us! And she never really did hugs. By never, I mean never.

It was something fun and special to me; and I'm sure it is to everyone else. Especially Courtney… And the surprise the Angel and the Devil shared was this delish cookies and cream cheesecake. They even let each of us have a slice and KISSED! Not that we could actually eat any more food… We (as a friend-group) bonded a lot today and; I'm never gonna forget it.


	13. Chapter12

**(Gwen's POV)**

I'm tired, but yesterday was really fun. And note that I don't say the word 'fun' too often. "Morning." I open my eyes and see Trent smiling at me from about an inch distance. "Hi..." I smile (and kind of groan)back. "Did you enjoy yesterday?" "I don't always smile- I'm sorry! I mean, yeah…" Well that was awkward… "Remember the time when I almost fell into the pool trying to tackle Elianna as a dare from the guys? That was really awkward. Don't worry about it." "Trent, you always know how to make me feel better…" I'm pretty sure I'm blushing, but hey, no one else is seeing me like this so it's whatever. "You look nice when you blush." Trent is taking a seat next to me on my bed. "I still need to get ready though. I have bad breath right now and that would kind of ruin a time to kiss me." I mumble.

Sometimes I find it hard to be straightforward. You might hurt the other person or their feelings. Unless it's someone I really don't like, then I feel like it's more challenging to be that way. "Oh. Okay. I'll be waiting for you over here." "I didn't hurt your feelings or anything, right?" I ask him; hopeful that I didn't. "Of course not, Gwen! You're like the nicest person I know." I see a little bit of pink on his cheeks and it makes me wanna tease him, but I don't. I would do it to Duncan, though. He's a weirdo. "Trent?" "Yeah?" " Could you give me a minute or two to sleep in? I'm tired…" I truly appreciate having Trent around. He's really sweet, artistic and I feel like he gets me. "No problem. I'll go see what Duncan's up to in the meantime." I nod in agreement. "I love how understanding you are. It's nice that we don't have to deal with any drama or things like that." We both respond at the same time. "Jinx! You sooo owe me a soda!" I smirk and tease." "Hey, hey. Let's not push it okay?" he laughs at me. "I'm going now, okay Gwen?" "Sounds good." I wink back and give him a small salute as I crash back onto my cozy bed, pull up the covers and let myself lie underneath. Then, I close my eyes and relax.

I feel like I'm going down a rabbit hole. It makes no sense! Imagine; being covered in warm Earl Grey tea and wearing a colorful little barista outfit. The feeling of being wet…just makes me so uncomfortable! Then, a magical joy-filled talking horse licks my face 3 times and I almost fell off a cliff and died! Thank God that when I opened my eyes just now, I was alive and out of that horrible place! Realizing that I was in my room is an absolute relief.

Before I can get out of bed, I hear see an idiot rush into my room, pull up the nearest chair in front of me, and tease me. "Geez Gwen! When did you become such a screaming wuss?" "I am not a wuss, Duncan! I just had the worst nightmare of all time, that's all..." I growl aggressively. "Trent I heard you from downstairs." "Did your Princess hear me?" "Obviously. She thought a friggin banshee was upstairs!" "Great. Now you're gonna call me 'Banshee' for the rest of my day." "You know it sunshine…" "Dude, stop. Does Courtney know you're teasing me up here? Go away!" I groan and smush my face into this black pillow with a blueberry pattern on it. "Sheesh! I'm leaving… Besides, Princess-time is the best medicine for a Gwen attack." "You can go now Dunky." I mock Duncan with his least favorite nickname. "Don't call me THAT!" "Bye bye now." I give him a sassy smirk. I love my job...


	14. Chapter13

**Here's the update (some of) you have been waiting for. LOL**

**Hope you like it and aren't mad at me! **

**\-- -- -- --**

**Courtney's POV**

I hear Duncan call out for me from behind near the stairwell as I'm walking up. "I'm done. Wait for me, Princess!" "Okay, okay." I roll my eyes and stop. "Did something happen to you, Dunky?" "I don't mind it too-too much when you call me that, but they kept calling me 'Dunky' in front of my extended demon-parents and it was really annoying." "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. I need to take a shower right now, so I need to get my-" "Could I join you?" He inquires curiously. I think his eyes are flooded with lust again… "As much as I love you, I'll never allow you to do that. So you're just gonna need to be understanding and respect my personal space." "But-" "No Duncan. My answer is no, okay?" I sigh irritably. "Okay babydoll…" He groans in disappointment.

I feel bad whenever Duncan get moody over something that doesn't go his way so I just wrap my arms around him in a cozy hug. "How about we watch a movie in that fancy movie room you showed me on the first day? Just you and me…" I suggest. "I mean, after I take a shower, of course." I feel his arms wrapped around me too, like the chocolate nougat 'string' that wrapped around the blueberry muffins made back home. "I'll ask Jen to pop the popcorn." He pecks my left cheek and holds me a little tighter. "Sounds great!" "Yeah." We stare into each other's eyes again; it feels like…we're lovestruck. "Duncan, does this count as our first date?" I ask him out of curiosity. "No, I think the party was our first date right? I had tons of fun with you that day. Your hangover was one of the weirdest hottest things I've ever seen…" Ewww. Just eww. "I'll wait in the bedroom, you leave the door locked. And by locked, I friggin mean locked, Princess. Bring all your stuff with you in there and all. Just in case I wanna disobey…" "Seriously! What the f- I mean, just no…" I place my hands on my hips assertively in disgust. "Awww! You were about to say your first cuss word! And hey, I just wanted to warn you Princess. To protect you from my inner dragon, because I care." I roll my eyes at this commentary. "Then who's the prince? You are?" "Yep. Pretty much sweetheart." "That makes no sense!" I counter. "Once you said the reason why we're a thing doesn't make any sense." He debates. "True, true." I mumble under my breath. "I love you, Court." He knows how to make me mad, yet, he knows how to make me feel amazing. "Me too, Dunky." My 'true love' is a weirdo, that's for sure.

(_Magical transition)_

I have my change of clothes under my arm and my towel hung up on the rack. I see the gingerbread shower gel, orange-scented shampoo and conditioner and I just release a peaceful smile. "I'm going to take my shower, so don't you dare be a Devil on me! Okay?" I grumble strictly after locking the bathroom door. "Is it locked?" I roll my eyes, sigh out of frustration, and tell him that it's locked. "Ugh...of course it's locked you illicit!" "Jeez, I was just checking so I wouldn't be able to unleash my inner dragon on you! Unless, you want me to…" "No thanks! I'm going now." I hope he doesn't get any ideas. I don't know, like picking the lock or something? I turn on the water and wait for it to warm up. Believe it or not, it only takes about 10 seconds to get the water just right! I get in after taking off my clothes and let the warm water melt my troubles away. I cup my hands under the shower head and wash my face. It feels amazing… Then I take a deep whiff of the gingerbread smell as I apply the shower gel onto myself. Before getting out of there, drying off and getting my clothes on, I scrub the shampoo and conditioner (one at a time, of course) into my hair scalp. It exhausts my arms but gets the job done. I stay under the running shower head for a little while longer, turn it off pull my towel off from the rack. Even though I lived in the castle for practically my whole life, I learned how to get quick with drying myself off at age 5. I wrap the towel around myself and I'm about to put on my favorite outfit but then I hear the door unlock and a "Babe…I didn't know you were this-" I slap his face fiercely. "GET THE- I mean, GET OUT!!!" I squeak loud clear in embarrassment. The Devil has this severely hungry look on his face and I cling onto my towel for dear life. "I told you to lock it properly." "I-I did! Then that means…" I retort, but then I realized just now that this was his fault… "Let's not get to hasty about this, okay Princess?" "This is the last straw. When I say 'respect my privacy', I mean it. The movie thing is off and so are we!" I grumble; trapping myself in the closet so I can change without someone trying to watch. "But-" "No excuses, Duncan!" I groan clearly. The nerve… "If you don't respect me, then you don't deserve to be with me." I grumble under my breath in a tired tone. "I need some sleep…" I groan to myself.

I don't know why but I keep hearing pounding at the door, and high-pitched tears. I see this dark black cloud; floating over Duncan and gory acid rain melting his face off… Why? Why do I have to deal with such a visual? Wait, I see it now...God wants us to be together! As soon as I realized it, I see this brunette woman dressed in a white wedding dress. It has this intricate stitching and long lace train and this beautiful rose flower pattern design I'm just in love with. Then I see this wedding scene and the couple looks like me and Duncan… I open my eyes and see that I'm not in a dress, someone I don't want to mention in an overrated tuxedo and no cake… "Thank you God, thank you for saving me from that horrible dream…" I give praise and gaze up at the ceiling while I do. "Princess?" I look around and don't see him next to me in here, I can only hear his voice. "What do you want now?" I groan. "Are you still mad at me?" I need to think about this long and hard. If I say no, I'd be lying and going against my promised statement! I was raised not to lie. My parents were usually honest, but in the nicest way possible. Then again, if I say yes, I'd going against God's wishes! "Look, I know I really screwed up and I want to apologize. I seriously do, Courtney. This was one of the worst things I've ever done and I won't be the same without you in my life again. I'll be incomplete without someone to call 'Princess' all the time. I'll wait as long as I have to to hear you say that you forgive me. I'll never open the door when you're…there again, and I'll wait here until you're ready to talk." I feel a guilty frog in my throat and I can't be mad at him anymore. My first breakup has been the worst breakup and I never want to feel this way again. In surrender, I reply with a very soft, "I'm ready to talk to you if you are…" And that idiot comes busting the door open with this huge smile on his face that reminds me of the opalescent flowers that grew in the royal garden. Because it was crystal clear in a sense, I guess. Not that I'd pay that much attention if that smile belonged to someone else… Wait what?

It makes me feel...brighter and more exquisite than I did at the cotillion bash last year. "I'm so glad, Princess. I hope letting you enjoy being a lone sleepyhead helped calm you down. Sometimes you can scare the hell outta me…" "I'm still mad at you- wait a second. You left me alone?! To sleep?! And I am not scary, but thank you." I'm getting a little annoyed, but hey, at least we're making progress. It was considerate of him to give me some alone time. "Can we get back together, Princess? I wouldn't be the same without you and seeing you everyday would just make it worse." Duncan pleas on his knees and the comfy carpet. I'm getting more and more guilty by the second; hurting because of my pride. Stupid pride! "I love you, remember? You've turned into my everything. I'd never be the same without you in my heart and arms. I've never really said this about or to any other girls and you've turned me into a friggin marshmallow… I-I don't know what else to say to you." I feel tears trickling down my face. I feel milliseconds, seconds, and even minutes go by in pure silence. But I can't stand it any longer… "I can't be mad at you anymore, Duncan. I'm still annoyed at the fact that you did that. But then again, you know how to push all my buttons, and make me feel absolute happiness…I still love you too, Dunky. Despite all of your flaws and annoying qualities and-" I get interrupted but for the first time, I don't care! "For once, I'm actually happy to hear that crappy nickname. I love you too, bossy, goody-goody Princess. No matter how uptight you are." "Oh. Uhh, can I?" "What?" I give him a curious look. "Kiss you." "Why not?" I tease. He climbs onto the bed next to me, wraps me up into a cuddly hug, and kisses my forehead. "Duncan?" "Yeah what?" "I thought you were going to kiss me on the lips." "Well, I didn't wanna overdo it make you mad." I smile in appreciation and feel flattered. "That's really thoughtful of you." "I'm not soft, just to be clear. You can just be really dangerous to be around." "I love you. No matter how hard you push me. No matter how hard I try not to. I love you, Duncan." I peck him on the cheek; probably blushing madly. "I hope I don't make you upset by asking you, but is movie night back on?" "Yeah. It is." I close my eyes and take in the comfort I'm feeling. Being in his arms...if this is what God wants, who am I to disagree?


	15. Chapter14

**More Updates, yay! Here's chapter 14 in Erin's POV again. Enjoy!**

It seems like everyone forgot about the 'rescue Princess Courtney plan' I organized. The Kind Council hasn't had any recent meetings scheduled and I haven't gotten the contract that allows me to leave. On the contrary, Heather and I have been really amazing friends lately! We hang out in each other's rooms, vent about our problems, sneak into the royal kitchen and make our own treats, read, meditate, and play the 'poison game'! I learned it from one of my old friends I met when me and my mom lived in the village, I taught her how to play since we grew so close. "Hey Heather! Wanna play the poison game?" I giggle and roll my arms around at my question. "No one does that. It's not going to be a thing anytime soon…" She grumbles.

What happened to her? We'd play this game all the time. Well, as of now anyway.

"Liar!" I retort playfully; thinking Heather would laugh and we'd laugh together. However, she doesn't respond. I notice Heather's face is a little sweaty and she looks stressed out! "Hey, are you okay?" I ask her; expressing genuine concern. "I caught Joaquin cheating on me." she mutters without any expression."WHAT! Why?! With who?! I'm sooo sorry Heather. He doesn't deserve you." I take a seat next to her on my bed. "A visiting princess or whatever. She looked way better than me anyway." She mopes around and sits still.

I've never had to deal with this situation with anyone except mom. Kinda. Not even Courtney or Marissa! Only Courtney's never had a relationship before (until now, anyway.) and Marissa is more of an acquaintance. I don't know what to do, but I'll have to think of something… "Tell me more about her. I might know this visiting princess. I used to go to balls all the time with Court so I might know her." I miss those days like crazy! I'd go as her plus one, she'd let me borrow one of her gorgeous gowns, we'd stuff our mouths full of fancy food, (At least I would..) and we danced with hot guys in fancy clothes everything! "Well...she's blonde and has these thundercloud gray eyes and wears apparel that's a little on the revealing side. I wore that dress from Courtney's closet for our date but when I got there, I saw the two kissing on-never mind…" As Heather describes her appearance, I see tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. "Is she Princess Bethany Falcon of the Sea of Souls?" "Who's that?" "A princess that stole people's hearts and once collected so many she made a sea of them around her castle. She was really close to stealing the Devil's, but the Princess ended up falling for him instead. Legend has it they secretly spent half a year together before he broke her heart and cut it off. Their relationship was secret for the longest time until it was recorded in writing and things. Since that day, the Princess continues on with her traveling, but loneliness fills her soul regardless." I explain. Who knew reading all those legend books in my spare time would be so helpful, right?! "How do you know all that?" "Eh. I'm just a fantasy nerd and her appearance fits your description." I shrug. "That b- I mean, manipulative, conniving snake is sooo dead!" I sorta saw the 'almost cussing thing' coming. I mean, I'd do the same in that position. I'm just praying that God will help me find a way to support my new (2nd) best friend and get her back to normal!

Heather's not doing too well right now and I hope she can handle it. Since we became friends, I always had something against Joaquin. Despite all of the noble and heroic qualities he offers, the guy just seemed...sketchy to me. Making so many girls' hearts flutter; it's a little too suspicious for my liking. "Heather? It's gonna be okay. Don't worry about it. You don't need a guy to be happy." I feel my soul soothed on the inside as I continuously attempt to cheer her up. "I'm not sure if I can." She sniffles into a tissue from her pocket. "He wasn't all that, I'm sure." I pat her shoulder gently. "I'm gonna go get a cup of tea, that always cheers me up." "Chamomile, right?" "Yep. Thanks for caring though. I haven't really had a friend since that day when my friend left. Since we shopped in Courtney's closet, I felt like I had someone to count on again." She smiles up at me before leaving my bedroom to get her tea; tears still streaming down her face. I feel better, but I need to find the Princess of the Sea of Souls now too! Luckily, her castle is halfway to Hell from Purgatory Province, so I won't have to go all the way back here to the Kingdom. "Ahem. Erin! Please open the door. We need to discuss that contract for your quest to rescue the princess." I hear Betty, everything is going perfectly! I'm excited to sign it and save my royal best friend forever (RBFF) from the dangers of the sinful land! I just wish there was something I could do about Heather's problem.

I'm planning to stop by the castle library before I go to do some research about Bethany. It doesn't hurt to learn more, after all! For once, I have a friend other than Courtney! It feels good to have another person you can rely on and talk to and have fun with and it just... makes me feel wonderful inside. But, I still miss her, even with Heather as my new bestie. I hope everything goes okay in the end… I'm gonna pray over this everyday until I leave. For Courtney's sake, for Duncan's sake, for Heather's sake, for my sake.

I open the door for Betty, I'm actually pretty nervous right now. I mean; what if they don't have it? What if I'm not allowed to go? What if something bad happened to them??? The potential cases are endless! But I have to think positive and hope for the best. "Erin, it's not bad news so you can relax now." I take a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens! Anyways, is the contract ready for my signature? I have a quill on my desk just for the occasion!" I think my overly enthusiastic smile kinda weirded her out… "The thing is… if the Princess doesn't come back soon, you or Heather are going potentially to be the next queen of the Heavenly Kingdom." I'm stunned; like flat out stunned! Me, a queen! Yeah right… "But we do have the contract ready, that's the backup plan in case you (for some reason) can't bring the princess back home." She nods in agreement. I feel a bigger weight on my shoulders now. I don't want to be queen! If Courtney doesn't come back with me, I'll potentially have to fill in the gap! (The gap I really don't want to fill, I mean…) I wish I knew what to do, because as of now, with the Heather situation and the 'rescuing Courtney' operation, I'm sure I'm losing my mind over here!


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 (Duncan's POV; 5 months later)

I haven't felt happier since Princess… We've been doing everything together! (Well not necessarily, but still.) I've been up for at least an hour now. Don't really know why. "Duncan?" "Mmm?" "Is it okay if I get ready now? I want prep for that surprise you planned for me. You told me about it yesterday, remember?" _SHIT!_ Can't believe I forgot about that! "NO! I mean, uh…" "Is there something you're not telling me? I'm sure if you tell me I won't get mad." She gazes into my eyes with innocence. "Uhhh…" I spit out awkwardly. "Duncan, I really need to get dressed. I can't spend the day in my PJs. It's just an unorthodox thing for me to do." "I wouldn't mind." I smirk at her.

She always looks so hot-no _gorgeous_-no _**dazzling**_ in anything. _What's happened to me?!_ "Seriously, get off me! I need to change! And wipe off my neck, you have no personal boundaries." she groans. "Not unless you…" "I what?" "Shush sweetheart, I'm thinking of something." "Sometimes you really need a brain." "You really need to stop denying that you like me." I retort. "I don't like you! I...adore you, remember?" "My face is turning pink isn't it?" I mumble grouchily. "It's cute and funny." my Princess giggles. "Really?" I'm weirded out by this. "Yeah." "Seriously, I need to get ready." "Ugh…" I groan and roll my eyes. "Fine! 10 more minutes." "Yes!" "Don't get too boastful, Dunky." She pecks my cheek and smirks at me sweetly.

"I hate that nickname, remember?" "It suits you. Besides, you call me Princess and don't hear me complaining." "Touché, sweetheart. Touché." she playfully shoves me away from her and I laugh about it. "So what did I tell you about this _surprise_ I was planning, Princess?" "Umm, it was going to be really romantic, Paris-related, and…and… oh yeah! Something about jewelry." Crap! I was supposed to get a ring for her! Now I remember: I was gonna bring Princess to Paris with the snap of my fingers, get down on one knee and propose! "Okay, thanks." "You didn't forget, did you?" "_No…_" "DUNCAN!" "Sorry…" "Why?!" Courtney gives me this sort of ferocious glare out of curiosity. I can't really explain it..."I have no idea. I've been with you for so long, I didn't know what I would do without you and things… Why do you have to make me go soft so damn much?!" I groan in frustration. "That's really nice of you to say, Duncan." Court smiles at me and I feel on top of the world. Like the best thing that ever happened to me was _her_… I'm seriously getting whipped, huh? "Why don't you get ready while I get your surprise set up; k Princess?" "Sounds great." she nods; taking a bundle of clothes into the bathroom and closing the door.

_Phew!_ Now, to get everything else together. I really should use lists more… But I know just who can help! I snap my fingers and pop up right in front of Gwen's room door. "GWEN!" I yell out at the semi-top of my lungs. "Ughhhh…" Yes! I hear a groan; which means she's awake. "Duncan, I was sleeping in…" "Well it's too late for that, Pasty." I retort with a chuckle. "What do you _want_ dork?" She mumbles under her breath. "I need help." "Now? For real?" "YES now! Look, I promised I'd propose to Princess today but I don't have a ring. You know where I can get one? An _extra special _one? It has to be so admirable that she'd blush in the most _adorable_ way." "You're turning way too soft for my liking. So stop!" Gwen rolls her eyes while wrapped up in her bed covers like a mummy. "I didn't know you were Egyptian! Because your mattress seems to agree." "I don't understand that joke, but seriously. Shut up! I'm just trying to sleep…" She complains again. "Sheesh! Who made you the stinking whiner?" "Fine, fine I'll help you." As soon as I see my friend wake up, I immediately start laughing at her. "What!" "You know Trent's arms are wrapped around you right?" Gwen almost _instantly _starts blushing. Man, this guy's got her good…wearing just a camp shirt and pj shorts, I think? Not sure what those pants are...

It's kind of annoying now. The dude starts to wake up, realize the position he was in, and blush just as bad as Gwen was! "Can't you two lovebirds help me out already?!" I'm really irritated and I might go and ask Jen, but she's gonna tease me _waaay more _about it than them. So, I might as well deal with it. "Courtney told me she loved diamonds, and rubies as a tween. She's used to the finest crap but is also kinda easy to please. Hope that helps." She informs me. "Oh and Duncan man?" "Didn't know you were awake and such _a player, _Trent!" I nudge him in the elbow and tease. "We _aren't_ lovebirds!" They both hiss at the same time then stare into each other's eyes and blush. "Lovebirds." I chuckle while I get the hell outta there. I know a lot about Princess but it seems Gwen knows about her even more… _Fascinating_. I should magic myself a ring for her, but it wouldn't be as special as she is. I need to get a _physical _one from somewhere that I can't just make out of thin air. I mean, I could, but I don't want to. Before I can think anymore I hear a: "Duncan!" This is gonna be a delay… "Why are you going in such a hurry, bra?" "Need to get a ring. Know any good places, Geoff?" "OHHH! You're PROPOSING to _Princess, _aren't you?!" I roll my eyes. "Do you, man? I'm really stressed out and want everything to be absolutely perfect. She deserves the best of the best and…" I magically get flustered and can't finish my sentence. "Sure thing bra! There's a place in the Province. I went there with Bridge the other day, just to check it out." I exhale a deep sigh of relief. Then I think about how the heck I'm supposed to get there and find the perfect ring and all that, "Do you remember _how_ to get there exactly, Geoff?" I interrogate him assertively. "I could invite Bridge to go with you if you want. We could be the Three Ring Finders!" I roll my eyes. _That's never going to be a thing._ "I could use the help. Why don't you come too?" I suggest. "Yeah!" He jumps up and puts his arms in the air like a weirdo. "Don't overdo it when we get there, 'kay man?" "Bridge will be there to help us out! Don't worry! Hakuna matata, you know?" _Great_, now he's making foreign language references… "When is she going to be here exactly?" "In a few more minutes." He shrugs. I waited and waited, and waited. "Dude, how long is Malibu gonna take!" I grumble. "Why is everyone so mad today? It's nice & peaceful outside." Finally she's here. "Hey Bridge! Wanna join us on a trip to the Province?" "Will Courtney, Gwen and Jen be there?" "Nope, just us. The **Three Ring Finders**!" Geoff announces loud and clear. "Shush! You'll wake everyone up!" His girlfriend screeches softly. "Anyways, sounds like fun. They have an awesome beach over there. Maybe we can catch some waves..." "_After_ we pick out a ring for Princess." "Awww! That's why…and _too romantic_!" I roll my eyes and she squeals at the fact. Ugh, this is so awkward… "If you tell anyone, I'll slaughter you alive and feed your guts to the lava!" I grumble. "Savage! Jinx! Double jinx! Jinx under a roof!" They say at same time like bonkers. Sometimes this is what happens when I do this so now I'm just gonna have to deal with it.

"Seriously Geoff, do you know where we're going?" I'm getting a little (scratch that, **pretty**) impatient, and it's only a matter of time before Princess realizes I'm gone. "Did you teach her the portal spell yet?" Malibu asks me. "Haven't had the time, I guess. But I'll do it today in Paris…" _That actually sounds like a good idea…_ "Hang on dude & dudette, this is gonna be _crazy!_" As soon as I heard that, I realized: I'm screwed. His weird chariot-thing crashes into this forest in the middle of nowhere and I feel this thistle seed or whatever. It's kinda painful scraping into my shoulder. "Dude, what the hell was that?! Do you even _know _how to drive a chariot?!" I groan. _Wish I could have some Princess-time…_ "Duncan, relax. We're super close. All we need to do is get some directions to the Semi-Sinful Square and find the perfect, affordable ring for Courtney." Bridgette has a gift for mellowing people down. Even me, it's neat I guess. "I'm trusting you guys...for now." I hesitantly nod in approval. Just now I remember my powers, "Why don't I just teleport us over there? I've done it before and it doesn't have any side effects on your nose or anything." I suggest; hopeful we'll save time. "Sure dude!" "Sounds good." I chant the spell really softly since that's the best way to do it; creating a portal. It sucks us up like a vacuum and just like that, we're in the Semi-Sinful Square.

I'm looking around and noticing people staring at me and girls squealing like chipmunks. "Dude, am I popular here or something? Everyone is giving me weird attention…" I observe the area; asking Geoff. "Yeah bra! Apparently…" And then two of them come up to ask me questions like: "Are you dating the Princess of the Heavenly Kingdom? Have you made out yet? We sooo ship it! What's the most _epic_ spell you've ever cast?" I roll my eyes. "How the hell do you...never mind." I grumble. If people know that the Princess and I are living together, I'm going to be screwed for sure. "That's not the way to talk to your fans," Bridgette teases me with an entertained grin on her face. I'm serious, I could get killed for this if enough people know where Princess is… "Take my ring!" One of them wiggles her fingers in front of me. On one of her fingers was this glimmering silver ring with a dark red, heart-shaped ruby in the center and two little diamonds sitting next to it. "Do it, bra!" "No, Geoff, that's weird… It may be _perfect for her, _but-" "Come on, just do it!" "Okay, okay…" We were whispering about it and I hope this decision doesn't make me a cheapskate or anything. "Okay…" "YAAAAY!" They all scream at the top of their lungs."Just, don't bring up that question ever again, rat face." I demand to the ginger. She lets me carefully grab the ring off her finger with care and jog off into the woods with Geoff and Bridgette. I feel bad but I know she's gonna like it and this is just kinda my nature, too.

_Erin's POV (at the Plaza of Souls)_

_It has been a long journey from the Heavenly Kingdom, but I have a feeling that we're almost at the Plaza of Souls (aka Bethany's castle). By we, I mean myself, the coachmen named Luca, and the horses pulling the carriage. "We're almost there, miss Erin. Please be ready, the bridge to see the Princess of the Sea of Souls is partially unstable from past incidents. Thank goodness for research!" Luca is an middle-age male saint. He's a sucker for reading and preparing ahead of time for things. "Okay!" I add nervously. I mean, I'm doing this for Heather and Bethany Falcon intimidates many folk that even dare__to walk on the bridge leading to the staircase that leads to her castle. "Miss Erin, are you getting out of there? Or will I have to help drag you out?" Sometimes Luca is like my extended dad, even though it doesn't help me with my uneasy nerves. "Miss Erin?" I forgot about actually getting out! I'm so strange…__ "__Yes Luca, I'm coming right out." I announce; opening the carriage door and leaving the carriage itself. "Are you going to need my escort there?" "No, it's fine. I need to fight Heather's battle, and before the guards get to Hell." "The guard is going to Hell, you say?" I nod promptly to make an appropriate response. "I understand. Just be sure to bring this button and taser there. She-" "I know that Bethany Falcon has traps, the souls of dangerous humans as guards that cannot die and things. Sorry to interrupt you!" I reply awkwardly before stepping out of the carriage and onto the ground. I feel the wind on my arms and face as I flutter above the bridge; fearful of it falling apart from my weight. "Are you alright, miss?" Luca asks from behind me. I continue flying and nod my head regardless. _

_After a long half hour or so, I see the staircase attached to a tower connected to a colossal castle. "Almost there…" I mutter to myself after wiping the sweat from my forehead for a second before going further. I finally__reach the railing of the stairway and carefully land on the first concrete stair. It's taking forever for me to hike up to the throne room! I wonder why they have such horrible security-Oh no! I'm starting to regret saying that, since there are quite a few shades (ghost guards) starting to take shape… I have to get moving faster than I was earlier, __**now**__! I feel kind of icky, like a compact car from Earth. "Well, well. Look at who is here, Fritz! It's the very sidekick of the princess, Erin Berry!" I turn my head to the left and see Bethany Falcon herself; dressed up in a dark midnight black dress, going up to the lower knees. She's also wearing a tiara that appears to be made of silver shaped like skinned rose branches. "Hey...how did you know my name?" I stutter awkward and teasingly; attempting to grin. "My ability to summon as many crystal balls as I want of course! Only I have 3; one in my room, one in the hallway for decoration, and one in the observatory. However, Du-I mean, the Devil__shattered the hallway crystal ball a few years ago." I figured she would remember Duncan for some reason. I just...had a feeling, if that makes any sense. "Do you know the Devil's name?" I ask; suddenly feeling a tightening in my neck. "I don't want to talk about it." The Princess of the Sea of Souls whispers shyly. "You are in pain." I remark slowly. "Y-no. I'm not." She hisses with the savagery of a cobra. "I understand you. Please just let me go!" I plea and start to cough from the lack of oxygen. Boy does it hurt! "If I let you go, will you promise me that you will keep it between us?" Falcon adds on. "Really? Yes!" I gasp for air gratefully. She releases my throat from her spell and strides regaly towards me. "Fritz," "Yes madame?" Fritz appears to be like a four foot five chameleon with lengthy arms and large eyes. "Oh, Erin I forgot! This is Fritz, my loyal and loving pet and servant." He shyly blushes and holds a tray with two teacups and a plate of petite blackberry scones up to my hands. "Uh, thanks?" I shrug and politely snatch a scone from the tray. "You're utmost welcome, miss." Fritz burbles and puts it down on a table nearby. "So," I feel a cozy cushion behind my lower back and beneath me. "Why am I lounging on a couch? I should be telling you-" I stop myself; not wanting to create dangerous tension between Bethany and I. "Telling me what?" The princess daintily sips her beverage; with a pinky out as she holds her cup. I wait for her to put it down before responding; remembering when I learned manners with Court. I miss her too much__… "__That using Joaquin to hurt my friend Heather was wrong." I declare assertively; finding it hard to be polite to someone who brings people angst and pain. "Ohhh! Well, I didn't mean__to hurt your friend. I just fell in love…it's that simple." She grins maliciously. "But I thought you didn't fall in love." I contradict her statement. "This time was an exceptional contrast to my usual self." Bethany Falcon explains as if she expects me to understand. "So let me get this straight, you didn't steal Joaquin's soul only because you were in love with him?!" I'm still mind blown with Bethany's relationship with Joaquin. "Pretty much, yes." I observe Fritz scurrying out of the room from behind her as she was speaking to me. _

_I nod politely to show that I'm paying attention. "Now are you going to leave? Or will I have to pour out the poison-I mean wine?" Princess Bethany Falcon threatens me despicably. I shrug while I'm freaking out in the inside. "I'm confused. Well that's okay, I guess. How did the princess of the Heavenly Kingdom meet the Devil anyway?" Oh cr-darn. The only question from her that I specifically did __**not**__want to answer just came out of her fancy mouth. In other words, I now have to answer something I do __**not **__want to answer… "She grins softly and gently." I senselessly respond. Bethany Falcon is not amused right now, let me tell someone! "What?" "I have issues…" I mumble; trying hard not to laugh. Hopefully she doesn't think I'm tricking her into not figuring out how they met…__I think to myself. "Are you trying to trick me? You know I can read minds. I've had this ability as a gift since I was born, you know." the Princess of the Sea of Souls boasts assertively. "Fine, I'll tell you." I reply; fearful of getting killed there and then. "When? Right now?" I nod once more. "I used to tell her stories about him and she was really interested in them. One day the princess told me she was planning to run away to actually meet and learn more about the Devil. Unfortunately, she got away with convincing me to not tell anyone that and I haven't seen her since." I explain. "You're one of his exes I presume, what did he do to you?" Bethany Falcon asks me. "He didn't do anything to hurt me. I left him before he became__the Devil because I was employed by the Royal Family with my mother." I answer. "Well, that loser cheated on me with another in his bed…" I hear her whisper very softly. Her delicate voice echoed through the castle walls just barely and I could feel her pain. "I'm-I'm sorry to hear that." I console the saddened soul protector. "It's okay, Joaquin loves me now, more than he__ever could. I forgot to ask you. For some reason, I find you easy to talk to." I'm stunned. Not sure if I should be grateful or weirded out, but it's sweet to hear. "Do you want to be my friend? I could protect you soul here when you pass…" Gee thanks, that sounds wonderful…__ "__Sure. I would love to. But I want to know why you're trying to separate them." "Who?" "Duncan and Courtney." "Who are Duncan and Courtney?" "Courtney is the heir to the heavenly throne and Duncan... is an interesting guy." I partially lie. Hopefully she doesn't find out his identity. __"__Who's identity?" "Never mind. Let's get going to Hell," I declare. Fritz comes over holding these five bulky-looking bags in both of his suction-like fingers. "Okay…then McNamara will be in charge." She flicks her wrist slow and daintily. A ghostly phantom is summoned with a permanent frown on her face; floating towards us. "Will do." McNamara replies in a melancholy tone. _

Bethany Falcon places a gloved hand in mine and smiles at me. She tells me, "Let's go to the carriage." That's exactly what we do. Hopefully this doesn't go badly...


	17. Chapter 16

I've been waiting for Duncan to come back for a while now and I hope he's okay… Looks like everyone's awake and doing well, that's good. "Hey Courtney, have you seen Duncan? I was going to ask him if he could get a pizza from that place under the palace. He's the only one with the key, and their food is _the best_." I didn't know Jen likes pizza…that's neat. "Duncan said he's getting this surprise ready for me. I'm ready and all but I haven't seen him since, or Bridgette and Geoff…" It's really unusual. "Maybe closing your eyes will help, it usually works for me." I feel a jolt behind me. "GWEN! Oh my gosh, you scared me!" "Sorry Court, I haven't seen them since Duncan was asking what kind of-never mind." It was like Gwen realized she almost told me something she didn't want me to know. "What did he ask you?" I couldn't help but be curious.

_What if he found out that the Royal Guard might be hunting me down? I didn't think about that when I left, that I might put the Devil in danger… What if he got brought back home to be executed or something? _

I sincerely do hope he's okay, Duncan's changed my life and let me be free to be myself. I love him and just worry because I care. Ugh! Enough about that, I have to figure out what they're up to. When I look back at Gwen, I see her eyes sort of wandering around. It seems like she's anxious and has something really serious on her mind. "Hey Courtney. Gwen, are you two okay? You look stressed, like you've woke up from Hell! Oh wait, we are in Hell. But you know, it certainly doesn't feel like it." Jen asks about her first so I decide not to. "I guess. But I need to know where he went. Duncan might be in really bad danger…" I feel like eating a carton of ice cream and I don't even know what's going on! "Courtney, your eyes are watering, you need a spa day. Right now, I know a lava-chocolate face mask that will do _wonders_ on getting that stress out of your system and soothing your skin." Jen advises that to me. "Gwen, can I talk to you? It's okay, Jen. I'm good for now." But before I turn around, I see that Gwen's gone!

I sprint into the room where the party was held and try to stay calm. _The Devil has magic powers and wits. I'm sure he's fine! _Wait, I forgot I could talk to Erin on my Friendship phone her mom got for me when we were little! I just need help with how to use it properly. I don't remember how to call Erin on it, she called me. (Err, I think…) "God, please help me…" I gently clash my hands together and plead for comfort. "Someone called? Only, I'm not God, of course..." I turn around and see Bridgette bundled up in a light blue blanket. "Why are you sad? Did Duncan tell you where we went? That he was going to propose? Oh no, I ruined it!" Her face tints to a light pink and she starts to panic. "Whoa, whoa! Slow down. Duncan said he was going to propose? Propose what?" Honestly, I can't comprehend what Bridgette means by this. There are many contexts for the word propose; confessing something, expressing an opinion, claiming something, making a suggestion, or marriage… "He was going to propose, uh, lunch! Yeah, that we all have lunch together again, like we did at the Hearts & Horns Winery." "I'm not sure if I believe you or not. You're looking frazzled and stressed. Is something wrong?" I ask curiously; giving her eye contact as well as my attention. She takes a couple of deep breaths before answering me. "Hey Mocha! The Devil himself wants to ask you something upstairs!" Geoff was missing, but now he's back too. _How?_ "What? Is it my hair? Sometimes I find it difficult to take care of, but I think I'm fine with it." He shrugs as they stroll up to Duncan's room with me. "No Geoff, your hair is fine." I can't help but feel happy (even though I'm still worried about Duncan) around such a positive person, so I smile back at him for a moment. However, halfway there I hear a loud knock on the front door and a group of Pegasi neighing just as loud. I almost flutter my wings over there until I hear the Devil's voice from behind me while I'm in front of his bedroom door and feel relaxed again: "Princess? You there?" "We'll leave you to it, Court." Bridgette nudges Geoff's elbow, waves to me and strides away from there with him. "I'm coming." I open the door and see the Earth city, _Paris_… It's the weirdest thing, and I don't see Duncan anywhere!

There's a massive, beautiful metal tower in the shape of a triangle with four legs, and dark pink roses blooming in the grass. How did all of this happen? Anyway my favorite thing was this _gorgeous_ sunset right above my head. There are even normal people (without wings) walking around and it's like they don't see me at all! "What's going on?" I tap the shoulder of a girl with black hair and a beret; trying to get some answers. _One of the best ways to learn things is by asking for help, after all._ My mother used to tell me that all the time. "Um, you're in Paris, dah-ling." the girl responds awkwardly in an accent as she passes by. I thank her, then continue soaking in the scenery. There's a faint smell of smoke blended with the sweet scent of freshly baked pastries, but still _no_ Duncan. "Duncan, seriously what is going on?! Why am I in Paris right now and why are there Pegasi at the front door?!" I'm getting more and more irritated by the minute, but I'm also trying to keep it together. "Close your eyes for me." A mysterious male voice replied calmly; soothing like warm tea. "Go on, do it." I close my eyes and try to visualize something peaceful. I start visualizing a lily garden with a pond where freshwater fish swim freely and lily pads float; these willow trees shading the water. Next, I see the trees allowing the sunlight to blend with the shadows their leaves and branches are creating. With my eyes still shut, I feel a warm breath on my face and arms wrap around me; the grip strong and gentle at the same time. _The way Duncan used to_… Wait, I'm confusing myself.

"You can open your eyes now, _Princess_." Right after I hear the word 'Princess', I immediately start to burst out into girly giggles. "What's so funny Princess? Don't you like it? You didn't open your eyes, did you? Of course...always so disobedient." "That's _so_ not true!" I retort while giggling. "Seriously though, open your eyes before I make you." He starts swaying me back and forth in his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" I tease him and try to slap his face. Of course I missed, though. My eyes are closed! "Uh, still figuring that part out." I open my eyes and roll them. My boyfriend (it sounds weird to say that for me, I guess.) is standing in front of me with his hands behind his back. "Hey Dunky," What? I'm curious to know what he's hiding. I wonder if Erin's at the front door right now…I'm tending to be reminded of her a lot. "Yeah Princess?" He shrugs and intertwined his fingers with mine. "I was wondering...why is one of your hands behind your back?" Duncan nudges my elbow playfully, "I'm getting there, sweetheart. Sheesh! Way to ruin the surprise." "I don't get it. What surprise? Bridgette said you were going to propose something, oh yeah! That we'd all eat lunch together. Weird." Then, I feel my heart skip a beat as he releases me from his arms, lets go of one of my hands, puts his in front of him and...gets down on one knee! "Princess, I have something really important to ask you." I'm speechless, I didn't see this coming at all. "Yes?" "When I first met you, I was immediately attracted to you and how you were so...you. Beautiful as hell, innocent but assertive, unpredictable, _feisty_…" I roll my eyes at this comment. "I'm not finished, Princess! As I was **saying**, you made yourself into my everything, turned me into a damn softie and my world upside down. I can't _live_ without you by my side forever. And I don't want those suitor idiots to-what I'm trying to say is," he opens up his hands to reveal a small black box, opens it so I can see the most _beautiful_ ring I've ever seen. It was a glimmering silver ring with a dark red, heart-shaped ruby in the center and two little clear diamonds sitting next to it. "...will you be my Princess forever and marry me?" His cheeks turn slightly pink and his eyes widen a little. "Wow, um, I don't know what to say Duncan." I'm _very_ surprised, of course I want to say yes! But if I do, something might happen to him and I don't want that…

"So is that a no?" Duncan tilts his head askew to the left. "Um, no! No! Of course I want to marry you! A hundred thousand times yes!" I see a pure smile on his face shine in front of me and I start to giggle louder and louder. "I'm glad beyond reason, Princess, but I have _no idea_ how a wedding works. So now what?" "You're right, now what? There's a lot of planning to do, the dress, the cake, the-" I panicked a little. There's a lot of work to be done with organizing a wedding… "I know a guy that's good with cakes, but he's back home…" I suppose. "Hell no! Sorry Princess, but if anyone from there finds out about this I'm _screwed_. We'll just have the demons do it. They're better with that kinda thing. Should it be chocolate cherry or cookies and cream?" I nod and we agree on chocolate cherry. "The dress? I can handle the invitations, and-anyways, the reason why I was so reluctant at first was because I don't want anything to happen to you if we were getting married, you know?" He wraps his arms around me and snaps his fingers. "I'm tired, can we make out and start planning later?" I shrug my shoulders and agree. I missed him, you know? "_Hey! Open the door! We know you're holding the Princess captive, freak! Open up before we do it ourselves!" _I hear these aggressive voices from outside our room. It sounds weird to say that; it really does. I never thought God had this as his plan for me, I didn't want to even be in the same room as him when we first met. But now, I'm _in love _with the Devil. "Who's at the door Duncan?" I ask and snuggle up closer to him; frightened. "They caught me… You're gonna have to hide or something, I don't want you to get hurt. I love you, Princess." He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead compassionately. "Promise me you'll come back here…please." I whimper softly. Seriously, I'm hoping nothing wrong will happen to him. "Believe me, I will. Those guys are wusses anyway." He gives me his signature smirk, opens the door and then says back, "If I don't make it, which I _doubt_, I want you to know that I love you, Courtney. I'll miss you." Duncan kisses me one last time before leaving and crushing my heart. I feel my eyes watering, but out of love. This may be weird but I trust God with him. I know that even though he may hate Duncan, God is going to protect him. (Actually, I hope…)


End file.
